China's 1st aircraft carrier more symbolic than substantive: lawmaker

China's 1st aircraft carrier more symbolic than substantive: lawmaker

China's 1st aircraft carrier more symbolic than substantive: lawmaker ROC Central News Agency 2012/08/11 21:49:05 Taipei, Aug. 11 (CNA) The launch of China's first aircraft carrier will be more important symbolically than substantively, a Taiwanese lawmaker said Saturday. The first Chinese aircraft carrier is likely to be incorporated into the People's Liberation Army's naval fleets on China's National Day Oct. 1, the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong-based English daily, reported recently, citing a Chinese naval research fellow. Ruling Kuomintang Legislator Lin Yu-fang said even if the report is true, the aircraft carrier's commissioning would be mainly symbolic because there have been no trial aircraft takeoffs or landings on the carrier. Moreover, Lin said, an aircraft carrier battle group must be composed of destroyers, submarines and other warships. "An aircraft c...

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