Defense spokesman: Aircraft carrier needs a home

File photo of China's aircraft carrier "Liaoning".

"The aircraft carrier is not the stay-at-home type… It will need a home in the end," Yang said during an interview with Global Times.

Yang said elements like geography, the economy, and defense will be comprehensively evaluated and considered for building the aircraft carrier's base.

Speculations on the Internet said China will build two major bases in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province and Sanya, Hainan province, and two auxiliary bases centered in Qingdao, Shandong province.

China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, anchored for the first time at its homeport in Qingdao in Feb 2013.

Qingdao is ice-free throughout the year for berthing civilian and naval vessels. The city is also the base of the PLA Navy's Beihai Fleet headquarters.