China has for the first time confirmed it is building a third aircraft carrier — a move that came ahead of an announcement by Tokyo that is considering transforming one of its helicopter destroyers into an aircraft carrier that can accommodate fighter jets.
In an article published Sunday to mark the sixth anniversary of the inaugural takeoff and landing of a Chinese fighter jet on the country's first carrier, the official Xinhua News Agency said that the nation's second domestically designed carrier had undergone sea trials and that a "new-generation carrier" is being constructed at a shipyard.
The report did not elaborate on the progress of the latest carrier, but it was the first official confirmation.