Alwaght-China launched its second aircraft carrier Wednesday amid Korea Peninsula Tensions where the US has deployed nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The new carrier, the first developed and built by China, was transferred from a dry dock into water at a launch ceremony, in the Dalian shipyard northeast China.
This is China's second aircraft carrier, coming after the Liaoning, a refitted Soviet Union-made carrier put into commission in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in 2012.
China began building its second carrier in November 2013, with dock construction starting in March 2015.
The launch ceremony included a performance of the national anthem, ribbon cutting, breaking a champagne bottle on the bow, and steam whistles from ships nearby.
The ceremony was attended by Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, as well as leaders of the PLA Navy and China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.
The unnamed vessel (classified as Type 001A) is set to become operational by 2020 and looks similar to the Liaoning but it has a larger hangar and increased deck space, meaning it can carry more J-15 fighter aircraft and helicopters than its predecessor.
China has now become one of only a handful of countries to launch an indigenous carrier and more are likely to follow.
The move by China comes after the USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered submarine armed with guided Tomahawk cruise missiles, is expected join the USS Carl Vinson nuclear-powered aircraft carrier off the tension-filled Korean Peninsula
The South China Sea has been witnessing rising tensions fueled by United States hegemonic policies apparently aimed at preventing the meteoric rise of China as a counterbalance in the region and globally.
The US has spared no efforts to flex its muscle in the Asia-Pacific, in a bid to show its global hegemony that is already waning nowadays.
