BEIJING – China’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier todaysuccessfully completed its maiden sea trial and returned to its home portin Dalian, a major step in the country’s quest to modernise its militaryand bolster its naval presence in the disputed South China sea and in theIndian Ocean.
China currently has two aircraft carriers. The first aircraft carrier namedLiaoning, which was launched in 2012, was a refit of the former Sovietvessel bought from Ukraine.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy said that the aircraft carrier, built atthe Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, underwent a five-day sea trial startingfrom May 13.
Its sea trial tested multiple facilities and attained the anticipatedobjectives, state-run China Daily reported.
The completely home-grown aircraft carrier, named Type 001A for now, weighs50,000 metric tonnes.
Earlier, the Chinese Navy said the sea trial aimed to demonstrate thereliability and capability of the ship’s propulsion systems.
Though Liaoning became operational in 2012, it is being mostly used forresearch and improvements for the new aircraft carriers China plans tobuild.
China is already building its third aircraft carrier in Shanghai. Accordingto reports, plans are afoot to build a nuclear aircraft carrier.
China reportedly plans to have four aircraft carriers by 2030 to operatefrom the disputed South China Sea as well as the Indian Ocean.
The aircraft carriers are being built at feverish pace by China as itenhanced the role of its navy to increase its global influence.
With the advent of carriers, China’s power projection is expected grow inthe disputed South China Sea and India’s backyard in the Indian Ocean.
China already has built a naval base at Djibouti in the Indian Ocean whichis officially called a logistic base.
It has acquired the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka through a debt swap dealfor a 99-year lease and is building a strategic port at Pakistan’s Gwadarin the Arabian Sea.
The US is the largest operator as it runs 11 nuclear-powered carriers witheach having a full-load displacement of about 100,000 tonnes.