Carrier's sea trials show navy 'stands up in the East'

Although, as the navy said, the trial is only to test the reliability and capacity of its propulsion system, the maiden sea trials of China's first domestically designed aircraft carrier on Sunday morning stirred the emotions of many Chinese.

Since its doors were forced open from the outside by Western navies in the late 19th century, it has been a dream for China to have a strong navy, so that there will be no repeat of the gunboat diplomacy and seaborne humiliations of the past.

Although it is not the latest-generation carrier technology, "Type 001A", as the vessel is currently known, is endogenously designed and built. Expected to be commissioned by 2020, it embodies both China's self-reliance, the industrial and technological progress it has made, and the degree to which its naval capabilities have progressed.