BEIJING
Military experts describe China's arms race as a global military force following China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning returning to its home port of Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province on January 1, completing a 37 day scientific and training mission in the South China Sea.
People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party media arm, quoted military expert Du Wenlong as saying "one is too little, two not enough, and three might just meet the demand" when referring to China's demand for aircraft carrier ships.
The military expert Du Wenlong said that if "China had only one aircraft carrier, it would not conform to China's status as a world power, nor to the demands imposed by the length of the coastline. Considering China's ocean environment, two aircraft carriers are not enough to safeguard marine interests. If China has three aircraft carriers, they can maintain a sustained combat capability: maintenance, safeguarding and patrol respectively."
China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun has said that "Liaoning" is China's first aircraft carrier, but will not be the only one.
- China has problem with all neighboring countries in the continental shelf
Due to China's many problems in the pacific region, particularly in the disputed Islands, experts maintain that it has recently launched an arms race through its creation of an air defense identification zone over a strip of the East China Sea and in the addtion of arms in her military inventory.
China has a shore line of 18 thousand kilometers and three million square meters of territorial waters, while the naval force of the country consists of small and middle range warships, China has one aircraft carrier and is claimed to have three under construction.
China transports the majority of its foreign trade goods by sea, and has problems with Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Vietnam in the Pacific. Her first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, and its fleet were closely monitored by the United States (US) and Japanese navies during the passage in Taiwan Strait close to the disputed islands.
The Liaoning was reportedly accompanied by two air defense destroyers and two missile frigates during the trial of its power system, seagoing capability, integrated communication and meteorological support capabilities. The aircraft carrier was bought from Ukraine more than a decade ago and extensively refurbished by China Vessel Construction Industry before entering service last year.
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