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BEIJING, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — Although aircraft carriers have been in service in many naval forces for decades, the debut of China’s first aircraft carrier drew worldwide attention. China’s first aircraft carrier, refitted from an old former Soviet Union vessel, made its maiden sea trial on Wednesday. It serves mainly as a platform for research, …

In the midst of last month’s debt ceiling insanity, the Chinese Ministry of Defense quietly acknowledged what must be one of the world’s worst-kept secrets: China is building an aircraft carrier. And according to an official Chinese news source, it could take to the seas in a matter of weeks. Speculation on China’s naval ambitions has simmered for …

By Yuriy Humber and Kiyotaka Matsuda Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) — Japan’s coast guard said it arrested two Chinese sea captains for operating in an exclusive economic zone on the coast of Ishikawa prefecture without permission. The coast guard is now inspecting the shipping vessels, the authority said today in a faxed statement to Bloomberg News, …

BEIJING (Reuters) – China Thursday accused Japan of deliberately exaggerating Beijing’s military threat, underlining the suspicion with which Asia’s two biggest economies view each other. The accusation follows a defense white paper earlier this week in which Japan warned that China’s naval forces were likely to increase activities around its waters. The two countries have …

The territorial row between South Korea and Japan deepened Tuesday, with Japan endorsing its 2011 defense white paper which described a set of South Korean- controlled islets as its territory.  The rocky outcroppings in the East Sea, known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, has been a source of recurring diplomatic row …

TOKYO, Aug 2 — Japan expects China to further expand its maritime activities in the South China Sea and the Pacific, its annual defense report said today, the latest expression of regional security concerns about China’s military buildup. Tokyo’s annual white paper, released a week after Beijing officially announced its aircraft carrier programme, also urged …

On July 27, Geng Yansheng, the senior colonel and spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense, declared that China is currently carrying out a restoration of a salvaged aircraft carrier for the purposes of scientific research and training.  The reporter interviewed Li Jie, a researcher from the Naval Military Art Studies Institute and asked several …

China’s first aircraft carrier, the former Ukrainian Varyag, has finally been unveiled to an eager public.  The spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense announced this significant strategic achievement in a calm and low-key manner, saying it was rebuilt from an old and useless carrier, and will be used for experiment and training.  The Varyag …

By Amol Sharma In April, India delivered the bad news to U.S. defense contractors that they weren’t going to get an estimated $11 billion contract to deliver 126 multi-role fighter jets to New Delhi in coming years. Despite the promising developments in U.S.-India military cooperation that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlighted on her trip …

MANILA, Philippines —The Armed Forces of the Philippines says there was “no cause for alarm” over China’s first aircraft carrier and the construction of two similar vessels. “It’s part of the confidence building measures among navies of the world that they are acquiring these and there is no cause for alarm,” military spokesman Commodore Miguel …