Netizens suggest names for new ship, but are told that must wait

Asked whether China would build military bases around the world following the launch of its second aircraft carrier, a Ministry of Defense spokesman said, let's not get carried away.

China will make decisions on the development plan for its new aircraft carrier and supporting facilities according to mission needs, ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said at a regular news conference on Thursday. The nation's second aircraft carrier was launched on Wednesday in Dalian, Liaoning province.

Harbors and training and logistics facilities are key support elements for carriers, and China will produce an overall plan for their development, Yang said.

A name for the new aircraft carrier, the largest and most sophisticated surface vessel that China has ever built, has not been disclosed. Netizens and military enthusiasts have submitted a number of suggestions online, including a proposal to call it CNS Shandong.

"We have read the posts," Yang said. "But by the rules of precedent, the name is unveiled at the ceremony for the vessel's official handover to the People's Liberation Army Navy."

The PLA Navy currently operates one aircraft carrier, CNS Liaoning, which was refitted from an incomplete Soviet-era vessel at the Dalian shipyard, where the second carrier was built.

The Liaoning went into service in September 2012, and work started on the second carrier a year later.

Dry dock construction began in March 2015, and the second carrier was launched with its propulsion and power systems operating, the Navy said in a news release on Wednesday.

The next stage is an outfitting process that includes installing the aircraft carrier's interior equipment and weaponry.

As that is being done, engineers also will test and fine-tune installed equipment and the overall design, the statement said.

The new carrier has a displacement of about 50,000 metric tons and will carry domestically developed J-15 fighter jets and other aircraft, according to the Ministry of Defense.

Major General Zhu Chenghu, a professor at the PLA National Defense University, said the new carrier is about 70 to 80 percent finished, but it will take about two years for it to be commissioned and another two years to reach full combat readiness.

At the news briefing, Yang also welcomed US Defense Secretary James Mattis and other senior US military officials to visit China as soon as convenient for both nations.

"China is willing to work constructively with the US in risk management and settle differences, and willing to continue increasing mutual trust of both militaries," he said.

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