China Building Second Aircraft Carrier: Unconfirmed Reports

China has commenced its second aircraft carrier in the ship-building port of Dalian. The carrier will be the second of four aircraft carriers planned by the Chinese navy, unconfirmed media reports say.

The construction is expected to be completed in six years, and China will eventually have at least four aircraft carriers, according to Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao newspaper.

The report also said that two advanced 052D missile destroyers are also under construction in Dalian. But official statement has not been made yet.

If confirmed, it will be the country's first domestically built aircraft carrier. China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was refitted from a former Soviet Union warship at the Dalian shipyard and commissioned into the People's Liberation Army (PLA) navy in September 2012.

Speculation surrounding the carrier building in Dalian started months ago, but authorities were reluctant to reveal their plan for the development of aircraft carriers.

Responding to the reported aircraft carrier construction last August, defense ministry spokesperson only remarked the Liaoning wouldn't be China's sole aircraft carrier, and the country will comprehensively consider the development of aircraft carriers in accordance with the needs of both national defense and military buildup.

The existing carrier, the Liaoning, is mainly used for training and scientific research. Last November, it left its home port of Qingdao for sea trials in the South China Sea.

According to Global Times,the carrier-borne aircraft aboard the new vessel are likely to continue utilizing a ski jump take-off instead of more powerful aircraft catapults, and its tonnage would follow the setting of the Liaoning, the water displacement of which is nearly 60,000 tons, with a slight improvement.