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China appears to have built an unusual new aircraft carrier, intriguing experts with a vessel that appears to be the first of its kind and could further boost Beijing's rapidly expanding naval power.
Satellite images from Planet Labs show a large, open-top flat-top ship under construction at Guangzhou Shipyard International on Longxue Island, in southern Guangdong province.
This potential new aircraft carrier "is of a somewhat unusual shape and size, much smaller than China's previous naval aircraft carriers," said Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submarine commander and now a fellow at the Center for National Security. New American, reports CNN.
But the ship is even smaller than the Type 075 amphibious assault ships used by Beijing's navy, suggesting China may be building the world's first civilian-looking "aircraft carrier" as an oceanographic research vessel of its kind," Shugart added. .
The existence of the new ship was first reported by CNN's The War Zone.
China has been building increasingly advanced warships at a feverish pace, often matching American carrier technology.
The aircraft carrier Fujian, by far China's largest, most modern and most powerful carrier, set sail for its first sea trials earlier this year, with experts saying it could join the People's Liberation Army Navy's fleet ( PLAN) until 2026.
The 80,000-ton carrier surpasses the PLAN's two active carriers, the 66,000-ton Shandong and the 60,000-ton Liaoning, putting it in the supercarrier league. Only the United States Navy operates aircraft carriers larger than the Fujian.
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