Should America Be Scared of China's New Aircraft Carrier? -- Rich Smith, Daily Finance/The Motley Fool
Well, it's official now: China has one aircraft carrier -- and it's building a second.
Once known as the Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag, China's flagship now goes by the name Liaoning, and is the biggest ship in the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) by far. In 1998, China bought Liaoning from Ukraine as a half-built hulk for just $20 million (ostensibly for the purpose of turning it into a floating casino), then rebuilt it from the keel up for an estimated $2 billion.
Liaoning began its sea trials in 2011, then completed them, was commissioned into the PLAN, and began flight trials in 2012. Today, China has joined world powers Brazil, France, India, Italy, Russia, Thailand, the U.K., and of course the United States as a fully fledged member of the world's "aircraft carrier club." And over the weekend, Chinese state media confirmed that the country has begun construction on a second carrier.
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My Comment: For the moment .... China's naval ambitions are not a concern .... they are not even close to what the U.S. is capable of. But if U.S. military power does decline .... and Chinese military growth continues (which I doubt) .... who is to say what the geopolitical -military balance will be like 20 or 30 years from now.
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