China’s first aircraft carrier — a remodelled Soviet-era vessel — will go on sea trials next week, a report said yesterday, amid escalating tensions in the South China Sea.
China’s top military official reportedly confirmed earlier this month that Beijing is building a huge aircraft carrier, the first acknowledgement of the ship’s existence.
The Hong Kong Commercial Daily, which broke the story of the vessel’s confirmation, quoted unnamed military sources saying the carrier will go on sea trials on July 1, but will not be officially launched until October next year.
The sources said the test has been expedited in view of rising tensions in the South China Sea over the Spratly Islands (南沙群島) in recent weeks.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) “hopes it will show the strength of the Chinese maritime forces to deter other nations which are eyeing the South China Sea in order to calm tensions,” the sources said.
They added that the sea trial date was also picked to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, but said that factors such as weather could affect the planned test run.
The PLA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions between Beijing and other rival claimants to the strategically vital South China Sea have heightened recently. China has claimed mineral rights around the Spratly Islands, and said foreign navies cannot sail through the area without Beijing’s permission.
In September, Japan and China also clashed over the disputed Senkaku (Diaoyutai, 釣魚台) Islands in the East China Sea.
Chinese officials have previously said that its first aircraft carrier would not pose a threat to other nations, in accordance with Beijing’s defensive military strategy.
The aircraft carrier plan was confirmed when the Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army, General Chen Bingde (陳炳德), confirmed the ship’s existence in an interview with the Hong Kong paper.
He said the 300m former Soviet carrier, originally called the Varyag, was being overhauled. The ship is currently based in Dalian.
An expert on China’s military has reportedly said the carrier would be used for training and as a model for a future indigenously built ship.
The Varyag was originally built for the Soviet navy, but construction was interrupted by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In related news, Vietnam and China have concluded two days of joint naval patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin, including a port call to China, as the two sides remain locked in a heated spat over disputed territory in the South China Sea.
The state-run People’s Army Newspaper said yesterday that two boats from each side participated in the patrol on Sunday and Monday in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Earlier it reported that the Vietnamese ships would also pay a port call to China.
It marked the 11th joint patrol between the neighbors, but the exercise came as both sides continue to trade diplomatic punches over run-ins involving territory they both claim.
“Respecting the signed agreements is one of the factors that will promote the friendly and neighborly relations between two countries and ensure sustainable stability and security at sea,” Colonel Nguyen Van Kiem, deputy chief of staff of Vietnam’s navy and commander of its naval ships in the patrol, was quoted as saying.
It was the 11th joint patrol since 2005 between the two countries, but it was unclear how long the exercise had been planned or whether it signaled any cooling of tempers.
A Chinese newspaper ran a scathing editorial yesterday, warning Vietnam to back off.
“If Vietnam wishes to create a war in the South China Sea, China will resolutely keep them company,” the Global Times said. “China has the absolute might to crush the naval fleets sent from Vietnam. China will show no mercy to its rival due to ‘global impact’ concerns.”
The editorial said any attack on Vietnam would likely not create a direct conflict with the US Navy.
However, it said, “Even if some friction occurs, that is no reason for China to put up with Vietnam’s unlimited vice in the South China Sea.”
The US has said the South China Sea is in its national interest.
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