BEIJING: China has launched its first domestically designed and built aircraft carrier, state media said Wednesday, as the country seeks to transform its navy into a force capable of projecting power onto the high seas. The country first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is a secondhand Soviet ship built more than 25 years ago and commissioned in 2012 after extensive refits. The possession of a native aircraft carrier places China among the few military powers with such vessels, including the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom. James Char, China military analyst at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the new vessel will serve as more of a “status symbol” for China in the East and South China seas. The Liaoning conducted its first live fire drill in December before heading to the South China Sea, raising concerns in Taiwan and neighboring countries, such as Japan and Vietnam, who have overlapping territorial claims with China in the East and South China Sea.

Source: Manila Times April 26, 2017 04:18 UTC