Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet, quoted Rear Admiral Ding Haichun, a Deputy Political Commissar of the PLA Navy, as confirming for the first time that China is building its second aircraft carrier. During an interview with Hong Kong media on March 8, 2015, Ding Haichun said that China's second aircraft carrier is currently under construction and will be more advanced than the country's first carrier, the Liaoning, which was retrofitted from the Soviet-era carrier Varyag and commissioned in September 2012. He added that once the industrial manufacturing department has completed construction, the carrier will be handed over to the PLA Navy to commence training. Separately, Naval Power and Electrical Engineering Specialist, Major General Ma Weiming, added that China's catapult launch technology has absolutely no problems and can compete with that of the United States.
When questioned by reporters, former PLA Navy Political Commissar Liu Xiaojiang refused to confirm media speculation that the second aircraft carrier would commence sea trials as early as this year.
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