China sends carrier to South China Sea for training amid maritime disputes

China sent its sole aircraft carrier on a training mission into the South China Sea on Tuesday amid maritime disputes with some neighbours and tension over its plan to set up an airspace defence zone in waters disputed with Japan.

The Liaoning, bought used from Ukraine and refurbished in China, has conducted more than 100 exercises and experiments since it was commissioned last year but this is the first time it has been sent to the South China Sea.

Though considered decades behind U.S. technology, the Liaoning represents the Chinese navy's blue-water ambitions and has been the focus of a campaign to stir patriotism.

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