China’s new aircraft carrier enters service at South China Sea base - Reuters
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-defence-carrier-idUSKBN1YL136
China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier departs the port for its ninth sea trial in Dalian, Liaoning province, China November 14, 2019. Picture taken November 14, 2019.
REUTERS/Stringer
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.
Little is known about China’s aircraft carrier program, which is a state secret. But the government has said the new carrier’s design draws on experiences from the country’s first carrier, the Liaoning, which was bought second-hand from Ukraine in 1998 and refitted in China.