BEIJING (AFP) – China’s first domestically manufactured aircraft carrier started sea trials yesterday, state media said, a landmark in Beijing’s ambitious plans to modernize its navy as the Asian giant presses its claims in disputed regional waters.
The carrier, known only as “Type 001A,” set out for the trials from a port in northeastern China at around 6:45 a.m., according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Expected to be commissioned by 2020, the ship will give China a second aircraft carrier as it asserts its claims in the South China Sea and seeks to deter any independence movements in Taiwan.
