China sparks aircraft carrier scare .

China sparks aircraft carrier scare, but says it will be 'defensive'
China National News
Monday 17th November, 2008
(IANS)

Refusing to scotch speculation that China is building one or more aircraft carriers, a senior Chinese defence ministry official has said if and when such a warship is built it will be used for defensive purposes.

'The question is not whether you have an aircraft carrier, but what you do with your aircraft carrier,' Major General Qian Lihua, a senior official with the ministry of defence, said in comments published here Monday.

'Navies of great powers with more than 10 aircraft carrier battle groups with strategic military objectives have a different purpose from countries with only one or two carriers used for offshore defence,' he told the Financial Times.

'Even if one day we have an aircraft carrier, unlike another country, we will not use it to pursue global deployment or global reach,' he added, in remark that were interpreted as referring to the US, which has 11 aircraft carriers deployed around the world.

The Pentagon said earlier this year that China was actively engaged in aircraft carrier research and would be able to start building one by the end of this decade.

China has issued repeated hints that it is planning to build an aircraft carrier in recent years, and according to Jane's Defence Weekly recently began training 50 pilots for fixed-wing carrier-based aircraft.

A South Korean newspaper earlier this year reported that a mid-sized carrier was due to be completed by 2010, and a large nuclear-powered one by 2020, while other analysts say China may already be working on three carriers, but that none is likely to be operational before 2015.

'The navy of any great power has the dream to have one or more aircraft carriers,' Qian said.

Qian also said it was 'unreasonable' for Western countries to ask Beijing to increase contributions to peacekeeping missions while maintaining curbs on arms exports imposed in 1989.

'US and EU (European Union) countries on one hand ask us to send more troops to peacekeeping operations overseas, while on the other, they still have such arms sales embargoes on China. I think that is quite unreasonable,' he said.

According to the British media, China's main naval priority is to deter American intervention in any conflict over Taiwan.

However, unlike India, China does not have aircraft carriers because it wants to balance out American concerns over its rapidly increasing submarine fleet targeted at American battle groups.

So what, great. System works for anyone who can afford em. Anything that big shows up on spy photo anyway so why all the hype

Well.

All of this construction going on of `weapons capable of mass destruction` leaves a smell of war in the air.

You know how Quality Control is in China...

One would have to give due consideration to the `launching pad`. Yet in my opinion it would pass.

They'll probably be built with melamine, anyway, I hear there's a surplus now.

With all due respect to you,

Melamine may or may not be in surplus now.

This was an act of sabotage.

Melamine and Corrugated Tin

it'll probably catch fire and sink.

If it doesn't, why shouldn't they have aircraft carriers? anyone who thinks this is akin to saddam hussein's WMDs (when we believed they actually existed) is wrong.

Big deal. What is so scary about them?

Because they are BIG and ONLY for defensive purposes.

Aircraft carriers are not only for defensive purposes, what do you think the fighter jets are for?

Not in your dreams.

...or some bizarre kind of forced evolution. think about it.... If people could eat plastic....

Here's one for the conspiracy seekerz

I don't see why they shouldn't build them... they're a big country, with big influence, and they will need some methods of quick deployment around their borders.

The fearmongering of them possibly using them as an offense weapon isn't that big of a deal.... they, like everything else, can be destroyed if it comes to that point.

Take the Bismarck as an example.

Added:

And if one or two countries are allowed to run around the globe with multiple aircraft carriers, why shouldn't they? Because we're told their the bad guys? Well there are bad guys in every aspect of our alliances and neighbors who have the same technology and it only takes one decision to turn that technology against anybody they wish, including their allies.

And alliances never last forever..... so big deal for them making carriers.

Interception of other aircraft, sinking of other enemy vessels, air support for ground forces incase of land invasion..... the list goes on. They can be used as offense, but as stated in my above post.... although it might be a bit of a fight, anything can be taken out of commission.

With torpedoes these days, one spread of them will put any carrier to the bottom these days. They are made of iron...and they will sink.

Eagle , so true.

I realize that, I was replying to scratch's posting stating they will only be used for defensive purposes... that's pretty naive. I'm sure these Aircrafts carriers will be parked in the Taiwan Staright for some reason...

They who will whine the loudest are they who want it all their way

`That has always been true.` Important news is relegated to back pages.

Aircraft carriers are offensive platforms. The range of aircraft today stretches hundreds of miles out to sea from land bases. Aircraft Carriers are power projection ashore. One or two won't make a difference to a major power. I am pretty sure that during the 80's if there was a major war with the Soviets that pretty much all capitol ships would have been sunk including theirs.

Aircraft carriers are airports where you don't have one. China's launching men into space. Oceans are a softer landing. Aircraft carriers are only offensive to they who are easily offended.

Everybody should have at least one aircraft carrier and a few hundred nukes.

Aircraft carriers are airports!

Oceans are a softer landing! In what way are they a softer landing?

Aircraft carriers are a weapon of an offensive nature. Power projection ashore baby...heck we Americans even admit to that. Run a few of those into an area and you have an airbase. About 120 aircraft on a Nimitz Class carrier.

The Chinese would pretty much have to create a whole set of new planes. You cannot just throw a tailhook on the bottom of a plane and make it carrier capable. Gosh the training alone would be astronomical when starting from scratch. But hey...they can do it.

Not bad for a developing country! (that kills me every time when I think of the Kyoto Agreement. They snookered all the signees of that worthless document.)

I'm sure the Russians will help them out.

Do you think they want it?

Mishaps happen. Landing on any carrier is dangerous.

The Sukhoi Su-35 is sure one hell of an amazing aircraft though!

I really don't see Russia giving military Aid to its chief military rival/opponent.

China and Russia are not friends,

With the exception of the Taiwan issue, China and the USA are borderline allies and are economically intertwined to a degree that (almost) prevents war.

Do you see MY name on it? Kyoto is Japanese anyhow.

Haven't you guys figured it out yet? When you look for enemies - you find them.