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China aims at building several helicopter carriers

China is scheduled to build several helicopter carriers in response to being forced to put its plans to build aircraft carriers on hold, defense sources said yesterday.

China is to ask a European country to build the helicopter carriers and a contract is expected to be signed in the near future.

The European country has provided China with the design and specifications of the carrier it plans to build for the Chinese navy.

A defense source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the helicopter carriers will act as a stopgap for aircraft carriers that the Chinese navy still wants to build, despite lacking the capability to do so.

"The type of helicopter carrier that China is to acquire is a cheap and fast solution. It is to cost less than a destroyer. But it will greatly improve the Chinese navy's attack and transport capabilities," the source said.

"The helicopter carrier is to be deployed as part of a fleet. It does not have heavy armaments, since it will get protection from nearby friendly ships," he said.

"Within five years, China should be able to get its first helicopter carrier. Its next target will be to acquire aircraft carriers."

Besides helicopter carriers, China is to get an unspecified number of new submarines from another European country.

The type of submarine that China is to receive from Europe has not been decided yet. They might be of an old design with certain modifications and some modernization.

A naval official, who spoke in private, said China is eager to replace its aging submarines with new ones within the shortest time possible, since the old subs should be retired as soon as possible.

"China does not need to have newly designed submarines to attack Taiwan. It can also use last-generation submarines against us," the official said.

The prospect of China possibly getting new submarines from Europe is not likely to materialize in the next few years, since they are much more complicated to build than helicopter carriers.

Over the next few years, military exchanges between China and Europe are expected to become increasingly stronger, which is sure to impact Taiwan.

In contrast, Taiwan is still struggling to get the next-generation submarines which the US has promised to acquire on behalf of the nation, because of various problems.

The navy has not totally given up hope for getting the submarines. It might be willing to accept a submarine of an older design, which would be better than nothing.
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