InfoAnda - Analysis: China's aircraft carrier: in name only |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Court battle looms between U.S. and AT&T, T-Mobile | | 2 September 2011
Thai Beverage puts Bangkok listing on hold again | 8 December 2008
Sirius hooks up iPhone to premium satellite radio | 27 August 2009

Policemen plead not guilty to Philippine massacre | 21 April 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Analysis: China's aircraft carrier: in name only |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Campaign Polling Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Breakingviews Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Video Pictures Editor's choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. Slideshow Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read "Galley slave" Putin savors yachts, planes, palaces, critics say 9:47am EDT Troops deployed as Hurricane Isaac targets New Orleans | 5:05pm EDT Republicans nominate Romney at storm-hit convention | 5:54pm EDT San Francisco archbishop-elect arrested for drunk driving 27 Aug 2012 Apple seeks quick bans on eight Samsung phones | 27 Aug 2012 Discussed 138 Obama’s lead over Romney grows despite voters’ pessimism 122 Romney to announce vice presidential choice Saturday 94 Analysis: Are Israelis tough enough for a long war with Iran? Sponsored Links Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Republican women Sarah Palin, Condoleezza Rice and Michelle Bachmann are some of the prominent GOP women supporters. Slideshow Hurricane Katrina A look back at the tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina. Slideshow Analysis: China's aircraft carrier: in name only Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Airbus wins $7 billion Philippine Air order 2:51pm EDT Japan blocks landing on disputed islands to defuse China tensions Mon, Aug 27 2012 Japan says disputed islands should not hurt key China ties Mon, Aug 20 2012 Landings, protests stoke Japan-China islands dispute Sun, Aug 19 2012 UPDATE 5-Landings, protests stoke Japan-China islands dispute Sun, Aug 19 2012 Analysis & Opinion To pity or not to pity Vijay Mallya An African kleptocracy’s U.S. helpers Related Topics World » China » Japan » Related Video China flexes its naval muscles Mon, Aug 27 2012 The engine-less hulk of a vast aircraft carrier built for the Soviet navy but sold off to Beijing to be converted into a floating casino in China, is towed and escorted by a flotilla of tugboats and pilot ship as it navigates through the Bosphorus Straits which was closed to traffic in Istanbul November 1, 2001. Credit: Reuters/Fatih Saribas/Files By David Lague Tue Aug 28, 2012 5:34pm EDT (Reuters) - When Japanese activists scrambled ashore on a disputed island chain in the East China Sea this month, one of China's most hawkish military commentators proposed an uncharacteristically mild response. Retired Major General Luo Yuan suggested naming China's new aircraft carrier Diaoyu, after the Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea. It would demonstrate China's sovereignty over the islands known as the Senkakus in Japanese, he said. For a notable hardliner, it was one of the least bellicose reactions he has advocated throughout a series of territorial rows that have soured China's ties with its neighbors in recent months. More typical was General Luo's warning in April that the Chinese navy would "strike hard" if provoked during a dispute with the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. One possible reason for General Luo's restraint, military analysts say, is he knows it could be towards the end of the decade before China can actually deploy the new carrier to the disputed islands or any other trouble spot. Despite public anticipation in China that the carrier -- a refitted, Soviet-era vessel bought from Ukraine -- will soon become the flagship of a powerful navy, defense experts say it lacks the strike aircraft, weapons, electronics, training and logistical support it needs to become a fighting warship. "There is considerable uncertainty involved, but it could take anything from three to five years," said Carlo Kopp, the Melbourne, Australia based co-founder of Air Power Australia, an independent military think tank. SEA TRIALS The refitted carrier, commonly known by its original name, Varyag, returned to Dalian in northeast China last month after its ninth sea trial, according to reports in the official Chinese media. Some Chinese military researchers had speculated earlier that it would be commissioned into the navy this year. However, senior People's Liberation Army officers have played down these expectations, making it clear the 60,000-tonne carrier was far from operational readiness and would undergo an extensive schedule of trials and exercises. "The Great Wall wasn't built in a day," Colonel Lin Bai from the General Armaments Department, was quoted as saying on official government news websites after the Varyag returned to port. Even when the Varyag is operational, it will only have a limited operational role, mostly for training and evaluation ahead of the anticipated launch of China's first domestically built carriers after 2015, military analysts say. Reports in unofficial Chinese military blogs and websites say China planned to build these carriers at Jiangnan Shipyard's Chanxing Island shipbuilding base near Shanghai. However, professional and amateur analysts who study satellite images of Chinese shipyards have been unable to find any evidence of construction. In its annual report on the Chinese military published earlier this year, the Pentagon said construction may have started on some components of the indigenous carriers. SYMBOL OF BUILD-UP While an effective carrier may be years away, the program has become a symbol of China's three-decade long build-up that has seen a sprawling land-based force with largely obsolete weapons transformed into a trimmed down, better trained military with modern warships and submarines, strike aircraft and an arsenal of precision missiles. For the Chinese navy, the addition of carriers has been a top priority as it builds a force capable of deploying far from the Chinese mainland. Senior commanders have long argued these warships would enhance Beijing's capacity to enforce claims over Taiwan and hotly disputed territories in the South China Sea and East China Sea. Chinese military analysts have speculated the Varyag will be based at China's new naval base at Yalong on the southern tip of Hainan Island, close to the disputed Spratley and Paracel Island groups. Carriers and their long-range strike aircraft would also enhance the PLA's capacity to protect key sea lanes that carry China's massive foreign trade, they say. The commissioning of complex and expensive warships has considerable domestic propaganda value for the ruling Communist Party as a demonstration that China is becoming a top-ranked naval power. The U.S. Navy's fleet of 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers allow it to control vast areas of the earth's surface and airspace. Only a handful of other nations including Britain, France, India and Russia deploy militarily effective carriers. "Aircraft carriers are incomparable and cannot be replaced by other weapons," wrote Senior Captain Li Jie, a researcher at the Chinese Naval Research Institute in an August 21 commentary published on websites linked to the Chinese military. "If a big power wants to become a strong power, it has to develop aircraft carriers." CLOSING TECHNOLOGICAL GAP China originally bought the Varyag in 1998 claiming it wanted to turn the ship, which had been stripped of its engines and anything of military value, into a "floating casino". The extended period of trials and preparations for the carrier suggests it has yet to get it on a wartime footing, let alone close the technological gap with more advanced navies. One major challenge China faces is building a fleet of specialized fixed wing aircraft and helicopters to operate from a carrier's flight deck. China is working on developing a new strike aircraft, designated the J-15, that appears to be a reverse-engineered version of Russia's Su-33 fighter, according to photographs and video footage published on Chinese websites. The Su-33 is the Russian jet that would have flown from the carrier if it had joined the Soviet navy. China already has fully imported and domestically built versions of similar Russian fighters, but experts say adapting flight control software, avionics, weapons, radars and airframes for much more demanding carrier operations is complex and expensive. "There are a whole range of engineering and operational tasks the Chinese need to work through before they have an aircraft they can reliably operate from a carrier," says Kopp, who studied China's aircraft carrier aviation program for a research paper his think tank published earlier this year. What appeared to be a mock-up of the J-15 was seen on the Varyag's flight deck when it berthed at Dalian last month. The Chinese navy is also short of helicopters for anti-submarine warfare, airborne early warning and search and rescue missions, according to Chinese and Western military analysts. CARRIER STRATEGY It also will need to develop a strategy and doctrine for deploying and protecting the carrier on missions far from the Chinese coast, they say. U.S. carriers rely on a screen of supporting surface warships, supply vessels and nuclear attack submarines for protection. China's determination to operate carriers is sending a strong signal about its determination to enforce its territorial claims, analysts say. In a study on China's maritime strategy published earlier this year, Japan's National Institute of Defence Studies, the Japanese military's policy research arm, said basing China's first aircraft carrier at Hainan would shift the balance of power in an area of intense territorial competition. "Should the Varyag be deployed to the South China Fleet, it would enable China to demonstrate its dominant naval power to the disputing states, which in the end could trigger a new arms race in the region," the study said. (Reporting By David Lague; editing by Bill Tarrant) World China Japan Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Analysis: China's aircraft carrier: in name only |
France opens murder inquiry into Arafat's 2004 death |
NATO may need more troops to ship home Afghan gear |
Slain dictator's daughter turns to mother's legacy in bid to lead South Korea |
Nine Iraqi soldiers killed in north Baghdad attacks |
Nigeria power minister resigns before privatization |
Mexico's electoral court set to confirm Pena Nieto victory |
KKR to invest $1.27 billion in Japan's Renesas: Nikkei |
Lindsay Lohan sought for questioning in theft: reports |
Suspected burglar of LL Cool J home pleads not guilty |
Clinton set to take U.S. Asia push to South Pacific |
Syria refugee exodus raises pressure for buffer zone |
Amsterdam airport partly closed by WWII bomb scare |
Japan leans toward zero nuclear stance, caution remains |
Ukraine rejects appeal by jailed ex-PM Tymoshenko |
Egypt broadens Sinai campaign against militants |
India Supreme Court upholds death sentence for Mumbai attacker |
South Africa mines minister reassures foreign investors |
Montreal police arrest 11 after university clash |
Hearing on Apple injunction vs Samsung set for December |
After Apple bruising, Samsung to bounce back with new Note phablet |
Second accused LulzSec hacker arrested in Sony Pictures breach |
Zynga's creative chief exits, plans Zynga-backed start-up |
Lexmark to dump inkjet business, shares jump |
Actress Lindsay Lohan not charged in theft from California home |
Religion, 9/11 grab spotlight as Venice film fest opens |
Documents show White House interest in bin Laden film |
Israeli court sets new deadline to evacuate contested settlement |
Loss of radio contact prompts Amsterdam plane hijack scare |
Former India state minister faces death for role in massacre |
Dutch Liberals lead in polls ahead of September 12 vote |
Italy challenges India in Supreme Court over fishermen deaths |
Many civilians massacred in Congo: U.N. officials |
France's Hollande spurs action on youth jobs plan |
Nigeria power minister says he quit to save integrity |
Tymoshenko loses appeal, stays in Ukraine jail |
Sony launches Xperia tablet in push for mobile success |
Apple/Samsung dispute not yet made it to China: Xinhua |
Square to sell card readers at AT&T stores |
M.Video mulls extra dividend after strong H1 |
Venice opens with 9/11 film, aims to build bridges |
A Minute With: Sam Raimi's truly haunting Possession |
Shakespeare flashmobs ambush London's streets |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01