China building second aircraft carrier, hints at a third

In the backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, China has announced that it is designing and building its second aircraft carrier completely on its own. The carrier would be the base for J-15 and other advanced fighters, it said, without getting into too many details or specifying when it would be launched.

The announcement came on the day when China’s President Xi Jinping promised to play a bigger role in world affairs with responsibility and action. “The world is so big, the challenges so complicated,” Xi said in his televised message. “For those people torn by hardship and war, we need to offer not only sympathy and compassion, but also responsibility and action.”

Speaking about the larger role China would play in world affairs, Mr Xi said China would contribute to world peace and treat the sword as plough. “By turning antagonism to synergy, hostility to friendship, together we will forge a community of shared destiny for all humankind,” Mr Xi added.

The new aircraft carrier, estimated to be around 50,000 tonne, is being built at Dalian naval base in northeastern Liaoning Province. “Fixed-wing aircraft on the carrier will use a ski-jump to take off,” according to a Chinese defense ministry spokesman.

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