中國第一艘自行製造的航空母艦開始海試
The still-unnamed ship left the northern port of Dalian early Sunday to "test the reliability and stability of its propulsion and other system,'' the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The 50,000-ton carrier will likely be formally commissioned sometime before 2020 following the completion of sea trials and the arrival of its full air complement.
The ship's design is based on the former Soviet Union's Kuznetsov class, with a ski jump-style deck for taking off and a conventional oil-fueled steam turbine power plant.
The carrier will be the second to enter the Chinese navy. The first, the Liaoning, was bought second-hand from Ukraine, refitted in China and commissioned in 2012.
State media reports say China is also planning to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier capable of remaining at sea for long durations.
The Chinese military has undergone rapid modernization since President Xi Jinping took power five years ago.
The Chinese navy, especially, has been used to assert Beijing's claim to virtually the entire South China Sea and is increasingly ranging farther into the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Last year, China established its first overseas military base in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, where rivals such as the U.S., Japan and several European nations also have a permanent presence.中國國防部的一份聲明說，這艘尚未命名的航母星期天早晨離開了大連港。
在完成數次海試以及最後裝備飛機之後，這艘排水量5萬噸的航母很可能在2020年之前服役。
這艘航母的設計基於前蘇聯的庫茲涅佐夫元帥級航母，使用滑躍起飛，以傳統的燃油渦輪蒸汽機發點提供動力。
這將是中國海軍的第二艘航母。第一艘航母遼寧號是從烏克蘭購買的二手航母改裝，2012年服役。
中國國家媒體報道說，中國計劃建造一艘核動力航母，具備長期遠航的能力。
自從中國國家主席習近平5年前掌權後，中國軍隊進行了快速現代化。
中國海軍被北京用作對幾乎整個南中國海宣稱擁有主權的實力基礎。中國海軍越來越深入航行到太平洋和印度洋。
中國去年在非洲之角的吉布提建立了第一個海外軍事基地。美國、日本和一些歐洲國家已經在吉布提建立了永久軍事基地。
