中国第一艘自行制造的航空母舰开始海试

The still-unnamed ship left the northern port of Dalian early Sunday to "test the reliability and stability of its propulsion and other system,'' the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The 50,000-ton carrier will likely be formally commissioned sometime before 2020 following the completion of sea trials and the arrival of its full air complement.

The ship's design is based on the former Soviet Union's Kuznetsov class, with a ski jump-style deck for taking off and a conventional oil-fueled steam turbine power plant.

The carrier will be the second to enter the Chinese navy. The first, the Liaoning, was bought second-hand from Ukraine, refitted in China and commissioned in 2012.

State media reports say China is also planning to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier capable of remaining at sea for long durations.

The Chinese military has undergone rapid modernization since President Xi Jinping took power five years ago.

The Chinese navy, especially, has been used to assert Beijing's claim to virtually the entire South China Sea and is increasingly ranging farther into the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Last year, China established its first overseas military base in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, where rivals such as the U.S., Japan and several European nations also have a permanent presence.中国国防部的一份声明说，这艘尚未命名的航母星期天早晨离开了大连港。

在完成数次海试以及最后装备飞机之后，这艘排水量5万吨的航母很可能在2020年之前服役。

这艘航母的设计基于前苏联的库兹涅佐夫元帅级航母，使用滑跃起飞，以传统的燃油涡轮蒸汽机发点提供动力。

这将是中国海军的第二艘航母。第一艘航母辽宁号是从乌克兰购买的二手航母改装，2012年服役。

中国国家媒体报道说，中国计划建造一艘核动力航母，具备长期远航的能力。

自从中国国家主席习近平5年前掌权后，中国军队进行了快速现代化。

中国海军被北京用作对几乎整个南中国海宣称拥有主权的实力基础。中国海军越来越深入航行到太平洋和印度洋。

中国去年在非洲之角的吉布提建立了第一个海外军事基地。美国、日本和一些欧洲国家已经在吉布提建立了永久军事基地。