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China’s first plane service, Liaoning, departs Hong Kong, July 11, 2017. Picture by Reuters/Bobby Yip
China launched its third plane service on Friday, the domestically designed and constructed Fujian, state media reported, sending a press release of intent in the direction of rival powers together with america because it continues to modernize its navy.
Champagne, colourful ribbons, water cannons and smoke had been used to have fun the warship’s launch and official naming at a ceremony on the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai.
Dozens of Chinese language Navy personnel lined up in entrance of the ship and sang the nationwide anthem on the ceremony, which was additionally attended by senior officers together with Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Central Army Fee.
The plane service includes a full-length flight deck with a catapult launch system, in line with state media.
The Fujian will be part of the Shandong, commissioned in late 2019, and the Liaoning, which China purchased second-hand from Ukraine in 1998 and refitted domestically.
Solely america, which has 11 plane carriers, has extra of such vessels. Ranked slightly below China, Britain has two in operation.
The Fujian’s launch demonstrates the Chinese language navy’s growing functionality at a time of rising stress with america over Taiwan and Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea.
The brand new service was named after the coastal province of Fujian which lies simply throughout the Taiwan strait from Taiwan, and is the house of the Jap Theater Command of the Folks’s Liberation Military.
Taiwan is a self-ruled thriving democracy. However China considers Taiwan its personal territory and has by no means renounced using power to convey the island beneath Beijing’s management.
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