It appears that China will begin building additional aircraft carriers that are larger and more capable in the near future. Will this development cause an increase in tensions in the South China Sea region? Comment below and let us know your thoughts.

China already has one operational carrier, the second-hand Soviet-era Liaoning bought from Ukraine in 1998, and is carrying out tests on its first indigenously built carrier, launched last year and expected to enter service in 2020.

Liu Zheng, chairman of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry in Liaoning province, said his company and its parent, China Shipbuilding Industry Corp, the world’s largest shipbuilder, could design and build carriers.

“We have complete ownership of the expertise, in terms of design, technology, technique, manufacturing and project management, that is needed to make an advanced carrier,” Liu told the official China Daily ahead of Monday’s opening of the annual session of parliament.

“We are ready to build larger ones,” he said. China Shipbuilding said earlier this week they were developing technologies to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. – Reuters

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