China to build larger aircraft carriers

Beijing: China has revealed its plans to build more aircraft carriers after commissioning its first last year.

The move comes as China is extending its influence amid territorial disputes with its neighbours, including Japan and Vietnam. According to the Japan Times, state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the aircraft carriers will carry more fighter jets than the Liaoning, Rear Admiral Song Xue told foreign military attaches on Tuesday in Beijing. The Liaoning carrier was built around a Soviet-era hull and began sea trials last year. The remarks signal that the People`s Liberation Army will push ahead with a modernisation plan under which defence spending has more than doubled since 2006, the report said. China has become more assertive in pressing sovereignty claims against Japan as well as Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea. The carrier announcement came as General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited China. At the same time, tensions between China and Japan have escalated over isles in the East China Sea that are claimed by both sides. Song said that the J-15 fighter aircraft needed more trials before becoming operational on the carrier, according to the report. ANI