中國宣佈首艘國產航母正在大連建造

Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a news briefing yesterday that the 50,000-ton vessel is being built in the north-eastern port city of Dalian. He stressed that China remains committed to peaceful development and to a defence policy that is defensive in nature.

國防部發言人楊宇軍在昨天的新聞發佈會上證實，一艘排水量5萬噸的航母正在東北部港口城市大連建造。同時他強調中國始終堅持和平發展道路和防禦性的國防政策。

"China has a long coastline and a vast maritime area under its jurisdiction. To safeguard our maritime sovereignty, interests and rights is the sacred mission of the Chinese armed forces," he said.

楊宇軍表示：“中國有着漫長的海岸線和廣闊的管轄海域，維護國家領海主權和海洋權益，是中國武裝力量的神聖職責。”

China has ramped up its naval modernisation efforts since 2012 as it seeks to become a maritime power to protect its growing interests. In recent years, it has been embroiled in territorial disputes with regional nations in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

自2012年以來，爲保障不斷增加的海上利益，中國加大了海軍現代化的步伐。近幾年來，中國捲入到了同東海和南海地區國家的領土爭端。

Until now, the Chinese government had neither denied nor confirmed its carrier-building programme - partly to allay concerns over its growing naval might, especially amid tensions with neighbours - though there had been leaks in recent years.

此前，儘管有建造航母的消息流出，但中國政府一直對航母建造計劃不置可否，這在一定程度上減輕了對其海軍實力增長的擔憂，特別是在與鄰國關係緊張的時候。

In January 2014, Liaoning provincial party chief Wang Min was quoted in the Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao newspaper as saying that construction of a second carrier had begun and would be completed in six years, and that China planned to build four carriers in total.

2014年1月，香港《大公報》援引遼寧省委書記王珉的話稱，第二艘航母已經開始建造，並於六年後完工，中國共計劃建造四艘航母。

Experts say it is no surprise China is building its own carrier. Its sole carrier, the 60,000-ton Liaoning, bought from Ukraine in 1998 and commissioned in late 2012 after undergoing refitting, is over 25 years old and prone to mechanical problems. It is thus deemed more of a test model for building future carriers.

專家表示，中國建造國產航母不足爲奇。中國目前唯一的航母是排水量6萬噸的遼寧號，該航母在1998年從烏克蘭手中購得，經過改裝後於2012年末服役，已經超過25年的壽命了，容易出現機械故障，因此被認爲更多的是作爲以後建造航母的試驗模型。