BEIJING -- China launched its first aircraft carrier built entirely without outside help on Wednesday. The new carrier is expected to be formally commissioned sometime before 2020 following the completion of sea trials and the arrival of its full air complement. That compares with 275 deployable battle force ships presently in the US Navy, China's primary rival in the Asia Pacific. China's navy has made strides in spreading its global reach since it established a permanent overseas presence by joining in multinational anti-piracy patrols off Somalia in 2008. Meanwhile, China's naval expansion is also fueling a reported push for a five-fold expansion of the marine corps to as many as 100,000 troops.

Source: Bangkok Post April 26, 2017 03:56 UTC