Related News: * Politics China’s Carrier Poses Mostly Symbolic Threat, U.S. Admiral Says

China’s reconstruction of a Soviet- era aircraft carrier, while not a concern to the U.S., is raising alarms in the region as a symbol of the Asian nation’s military expansion, U.S. Navy Admiral Robert Willard said.

China’s state news agency, Xinhua, posted photos of the carrier, the Varyag, on a website last week, according to the New York Times.

In a photo caption, Xinhua cited the military analysis magazine Kanwa Asian Defense Review in Canada as saying the ship will set sail this year, the Times reported.

The timeline tracks with an estimate made two years ago by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence.

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