Reports on PLA's aircraft carrier ambitions overinflated

In a new article written for the Tokyo-based Diplomat, Harry Kazianis, the managing editor of the National Interest magazine, said that predictions regarding China building its first carrier battle group in three years need to be taken with a "grain of salt."

Currently, the People's Liberation Army Navy only has one refurbished aircraft carrier named the Liaoning. China originally purchased the vessel from Ukraine and it will very likely serve as a training ship for the PLA Navy to learn how to operate future aircraft carriers in the open sea.

There have been a number of reports on China's first carrier battle group, Kazianis said, while citing the Singapore-based Strait Times as saying that China will be able to build an indigenous carrier battle group (CBG) within three years with its first domestic aircraft carrier.

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