China affirms intention to build aircraft carrier

Beijing: China's defence minister has reaffirmed the country's intention to build its own aircraft carrier, the Sina news agency reported Monday. It quoted Gen. Liang Guanglie as saying that "among the big world powers only China does not have an aircraft carrier, so it cannot be without an aircraft carrier forever."

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Gen. Li's assertion is only  the latest and comes on the back of another made in December last year by a spokesman of China's ministry of defence that aircraft carriers were "a reflection of a nation's comprehensive power" and were needed to meet the demands of a country's navy.

It is speculated that construction could be officially announced in April, when the Chinese Navy marks its 60th anniversary. If so, the likely date of induction into service would be 2020.