Chinese Military's New Aircraft Carrier Starts Sea Trials

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The Chinese military's first aircraft carrier began sea trials yesterday. And it's leaving some of China's Asian neighbors concerned. But experts say the ship won't be combat-ready for years to come.

The Chinese Communist Party's first aircraft carrier embarked on it's first round of sea trials early Wednesday morning. The unnamed, former Soviet aircraft carrier traded hands for years after the fall of the Soviet Union, until it ended up in CCP hands in 1998.

Many of China's Asian neighbors are concerned about the CCP building up its military strength. Over the past year, conflicts with Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, and South Korea have become more frequent. But the aircraft carrier is far from being combat ready.

[Yin Zhuo, Military Expert]:
"Besides pilots—it also needs mutual communication between the aircraft carrier and its affiliated ships, such as a radar picket ship sending a warning message to the carrier. What's more, our pilots need to know how to recognize our own aircraft carrier and fighters to avoid fighting against our own fighters. Such problems in forming a formation, though we don't have the complete data, but it would be about 10 years."

On the same day the CCP launched its aircraft carrier, Taiwan unveiled what it describes as a 'aircraft carrier killer' missile. The CCP considers Taiwan a part of China and has vowed to reunite with it, by force if necessary.

China's military spending is at an estimated $91.5-billion last year—second to the United States.

Currently, the U.S. is the strongest naval power in Asia, operating 11 aircraft carrier battle groups.