BEIJING - China commissioned its first domestically built aircraft carrier into service on Tuesday at a key base on the shores of the disputed South China Sea, in another big step in the country's amb
BEIJING - China commissioned its first domestically built aircraft carrier into service on Tuesday at a key base on the shores of the disputed South China Sea, in another big step in the country's ambitious military modernization.
The carrier, the country's second, began sea trials last year from its base in Shandong province in the northern port of Dalian, where it was built, and has now been given the official name the Shandong, state media reported, following its commissioning. Xi was accompanied by two close political allies, the report added - Vice Premier Liu He who has been leading trade talks with the United States, and Zhang Youxia, one of the two vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission which is in charge of the armed forces and which Xi heads.
China has been using the Liaoning mainly for training, as the navy hones its ability to operate fighter jets at sea and with other warships. Most experts agree that developing such a force will be a decades-long task for China, but progress on a home-built carrier boosts prestige for Beijing, seen by many experts as keen to eventually erode US military prominence in the region.
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