China Hands Over Its First Aircraft Carrier to the Navy

(Bloomberg) --

China’s first domestically made aircraft carrier was handed over to its navy, in a ceremony that marks a watershed moment for the country’s rising military ambitions.

President Xi Jinping, along with Vice Premier Liu He, attended the commissioning ceremony of the warship in Sanya, near the southern tip of Hainan, China Central Television reported. The ship is named the Shandong, after the province in eastern China roughly halfway between Beijing and Shanghai, Xinhua said.

China has sought to increase its naval presence to project power beyond its coast and protect increasingly far-flung interests including its expansive and disputed claims in the South China Sea. Xi has made overhauling and modernizing the People’s Liberation Army a centerpiece of his agenda since taking power in 2012.

The ship’s commissioning took longer than some military observers expected, suggesting it had technical issues, according to the South China Morning Post. It passed through the Taiwan Strait for “scientific trials and routine training” and headed to the South China Sea in November, it said.

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