LOC16:54
13:54 GMT
TOKYO, Aug 15 (KUNA) -- China's first aircraft carrier has concluded its
four-day sea trial and returned to port in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning
province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday.
The giant platform was pulled back on Sunday by seven tugboats into the
Dalian port, where more refitting efforts will be carried out. The vessel left
its shipyard on Wednesday.
What's being tested on the seas has not been made public yet. But according
to Xinhua, the carrier is expected to undergo checkups of its various systems,
including engines, aviation and navigation equipment, electronics,
fire-control, life-saving and maintenance operations. Authorities haven't
revealed what weapons are installed.
The aircraft carrier was originally built by the former Soviet Union, which
failed to complete the ship's construction before collapsing in 1991. The
carrier was an empty shell when it was sold to Ukraine. Ukraine later disarmed
it and removed its engines before selling it to China.
The project comes amid rising tensions between China and neighboring
countries over territorial claims to the resource-rich South China Sea and its
island groups. Vietnam staged the military drills in June over sovereignty
claims on the Spratly Islands, which are also claimed by China, Taiwan,
Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines, after accusing Chinese boats of
disrupting oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea.
Last month, China's Defense Ministry officially confirmed that the country
is refitting an imported aircraft carrier body for the purposes of scientific
research and training. The ministry did not give further details about the
carrier, but military experts said the carrier has a displacement of nearly 60,
000 metric tons, according to Xinhua's earlier report. (end)
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KUNA 151654 Aug 11NNNN