CHINA'S FIRST HOME-BUILT AIRCRAFT CARRIER

BEIJING : China's first entirely home-built aircraft carrier began sea trials on Sunday in a sign of the growing sophistication of country's domestic arms industry.

The still-unnamed ship left dock in the northern post Dalian at 7am to ''test the reliability and stability of the propulsion and other system,'' the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

State media reports say China is also planning to build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier capable of remaining at sea for long durations.

China has the world's largest navy in terms of ships, although it lags behind the US in technology and combat capabilities.

It has been deployed to assert China's claim to virtually the entire South China Sea and is increasingly ranging farther into the Pacific and Indian oceans. [AP]