China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, left its homeport of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province for the South China Sea on Nov 26 "on a scientific and training mission." This is the first time the carrier has conducted a cross-sea training voyage since it was commissioned into the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy last year, according to the Liaoning's Capt Zhang Zheng. The aircraft carrier was escorted by two missile destroyers, the Shenyang and Shiji-azhuang, and two missile frigates, the Yantai and Weifang. The voyage will test the carrier's equipment, Zhang was quoted by Xinhua news agency.
展开▼
