China's first homegrown aircraft carrier starts sea trial

China's first domestically designed aircraft carrier set sail on its maiden sea trial on Sunday morning, which means it will not take long before it is commissioned to the People's Liberation Army Navy.

The colossal 50,000-metric ton vessel left a shipyard of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry in Liaoning province around 7 am against thick fog and with assistance from several tugboats, before navigating into the sea using its own propulsion.

The Navy said in a statement that the trial aims to demonstrate the reliability and capability of the ship's propulsion systems, adding that its construction has been proceeding well.