China starts trials of first home-built aircraft carrier

Beijing. May 14. Silkroadnews - China’s first domestically developed aircraft carrier left its northeastern port to begin sea trials, the latest milestone in the country’s efforts to modernize its military, CNBC wrote.
The aircraft carrier, still-unnamed, was launched last year, yet has not entered service immediately, as has been equipped with weapons and combat systems since then.
State media reported, “country’s second aircraft carrier set sail from its dock in the Dalian shipyard for relevant waters to conduct a sea trial mission, mainly to inspect and verify the reliability and stability of mechanical systems and other equipment.”
President Xi Jinping pays close attention to an ambitious plan to update the armed forces, including the development of stealth jets and anti-satellite missiles, as China strengthens its presence in the South China Sea and around Taiwan.
Chinese military experts said, the new aircraft carrier should enter service not earlier than 2020, once it has been fully equipped and armed.
According to the government, the design of the new aircraft carrier is based on the experience of the country’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was bought second-hand in Ukraine in 1998 and refitted in China. The new carrier is designed to be able to operate China’s fighters Shenyang J-15.