China's Homemade Aircraft Carrier Becomes Second in Xi's Fleet
- Carrier program at heart of effort to build blue-water navy
- Chinese analysts say as many as six such warships needed
China's first aircraft carrier launches
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China launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier, burnishing President Xi Jinping’s credentials as commander-in-chief ahead of a Communist Party leadership reshuffle this year.
The warship was floated at a shipyard in the northeastern port of Dalian in a ceremony attended by General Fan Changlong, second only to Xi on the Central Military Commission, according to a statement on the Ministry of National Defense’s website. A bottle of champagne was ceremonially smashed on the vessel’s bow before the ship was escorted from dry dock, the ministry said.