China's first domestically developed aircraft carrier left its northeastern port to begin sea trials on Sunday, state media said, the latest milestone in the country's efforts to modernise its military. The official Xinhua news agency confirmed the ship had left for trials with a short announcement. Other state news outlets showed undated photos of a fog-shrouded carrier just off of its dock. Little is known about China's aircraft carrier programme, which is a state secret, though official media in recent weeks had widely speculated that sea trials were set to start. State media has quoted experts as saying that the country needs at least six carriers.

Source: dna May 13, 2018 02:26 UTC