Fuss over navy unwarranted

Some Western media outlets continue to sensationalize news about China's navy. Now they are claiming that "China's aircraft carrier is set to sail this summer". By making such carping comments, some Western observers are trying to distort China's strategic intentions and orientation, and smear its image in the international community. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify matters and help the world better understand China.

An aircraft carrier is a mobile airbase on sea that can allow a navy to carry out various military, political and diplomatic missions across the world. World War II saw the first large-scale use of aircraft carriers, which played a decisive role when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and in the Battle of Midway between the United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy. Aircraft carriers have replaced battleships as the backbone of modern seafaring fleets since then. During the Cold War, carrier strike groups had become a major weaponry platform for the US and the former Soviet Union in their contention for maritime hegemony.

After the end of the Cold War, the US has been maintaining 12 carrier strike groups. And even without any increase in number, the comprehensive combat capability of one US carrier strike group is now equivalent to that of six groups during the Gulf War in the 1990s. This is because of the technological advancement of the whole combat platform, upgrade of carrier-based aircraft and promotion of the US' network-centric warfare.