New aircraft carrier enters service

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents the People's Liberation Army flag and the naming certificate to the captain and political commissar of aircraft carrier Shandong, respectively, during the commissioning ceremony of China's first domestically built aircraft carrier at a naval port in Sanya, South China's Hainan province, Dec 17, 2019. [Photo/Xinhua]

Before Tuesday, the Navy had a sole carrier — the CNS Liaoning — which was originally a Soviet-era vessel and was extensively refitted at Dalian shipyard in Liaoning province. The vessel entered service in September 2012 and has executed several long-range operations with other warships in its carrier battle group.

After the ceremony on Tuesday, Xi inspected the Shandong, which had several J-15 fighter jets on its flight deck, a China Central Television report showed.

The deployment of fighter jets and helicopters on the new carrier is in stark contrast to the Liaoning, which did not field any combat aircraft in the early days after its commissioning.

The president also met members of the Navy's carrier force and representatives from organizations involved in the project, acknowledging their achievements and encouraging them to continue to make new accomplishments.

The Shandong is the largest and most sophisticated naval ship ever developed and constructed in China.

Its construction began in November 2013 at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, the world's largest shipbuilder. The ship was first lowered into water in April 2017, and conducted its first sea trial in May 2018.

Before the commissioning, the Shandong went through nine sea trials. Video clips published by the Navy show fighter jets conducting takeoff and landing operations on the Shandong.

In mid-November, the ship set sail from the Dalian shipyard and began its final sea trial — its lengthiest yet. It sailed through the Taiwan Straits and stopped in Sanya.