The first Chinese-made aircraft carrier entered service, at Sanya Naval Base on Hainan Island, at an inauguration ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping.
The carrier is called "Shandong" and its delivery - according to official local media - is an important step in the army modernization program, as Beijing plans to build about six aircraft carriers by the third decade of this millennium.
Li Jie, a Beijing-based marine expert, told the South China Morning West that the Shandong aircraft carrier had been attached to the People's Liberation Army and that it could carry up to forty aircraft, including Z-9 helicopters and KG 600 early warning aircraft. .
"Beijing chose Sanya Port (for inauguration) because the military leadership wanted to highlight the geo-strategic importance of China's second aircraft carrier base," he added.
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Shandong was built by Dalian Shipbuilding Company in Liaoning Province, and construction began in November 2013, and the company laid the main beam for the structure in a dry dock in March 2015.
It weighs about fifty thousand tons, is 315 meters long and 75 meters wide. Shandong has appeared in exercises held in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, in an attempt by the government to showcase strength against Taiwan and countries in the region.
Shandong was originally supposed to enter service in April 2019, but was postponed for technical reasons.
Shandong is the second aircraft carrier in China after Liaoning, a former Soviet aircraft carrier that was upgraded from Ukraine in 2012.