BEIJING — China should independently build its own aircraft carriers, the country’s largest shipbuilder said at a pivotal Communist Party meeting where Beijing announced plans to become a “maritime power.”
The China Daily reported Nov. 20 the call for China to match its growing global influence with new military hardware after Beijing in September commissioned its first carrier, the Liaoning (Pictured), which was purchased from Ukraine.
The launch of the carrier was viewed as a symbolic milestone for the growing military power of China at a time of regional anxiety over Beijing’s rise.
It also sparked speculation on when China would domestically construct its own carriers.
Hu Wenming, chairman of China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC), said his company was ready to build “seagoing airbases”, the China Daily reported.
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