BEIJING—China is building its second aircraft carrier, the defense ministry said Thursday, as Beijing expands its naval capabilities amid maritime disputes with neighbors in the East and South China Seas.
“This aircraft carrier is being developed according to entirely domestic designs,” defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular briefing, adding it was under construction in Dalian, a northeastern port.
The official confirmation comes after months of rumors and hints from military officials.
Beijing has rapidly expanded its military in recent years, rattling its neighbors and attracting the attention of the United States, which is making a foreign policy “pivot” towards Asia.
China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was a second-hand Soviet ship built more than 25 years ago. It was commissioned in 2012 after extensive refits.
The new vessel will use “conventional power,” Yang said, as opposed to being nuclear-driven, and will carry China’s indigenous J-15 aircraft along with other planes.
It will have a displacement of 50,000 tons, he said.
Beijing’s forces have been involved in sometimes tense confrontations with Japanese and Philippine units over maritime disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea, respectively, amid fears that the disputes could result in armed clashes.
The announcement is a confirmation of earlier news reports, which have for months suggested China was working on another carrier.
IHS Janes reported in September on a ship “in an advanced state of construction at Dalian shipyard” that it said could be China’s first indigenous aircraft carrier.
The defense publication said satellite images suggest the hull, or main body of the ship under construction, was about 240 meters in length.
The construction of a second carrier is likely to add to concerns among China’s neighbors, many of whom are involved in worsening disputes with Beijing over maritime territory.
Beijing has stressed that the expansion of its military is no threat to its neighbors. It has said the Liaoning will be used mainly for scientific research and training missions.