(Ecns.cn)-- China's first aircraft carrier left a shipyard in Dalian to hold its first sea trial on Wednesday morning. According to the schedule, the much-expected debut of the carrier would not take long, after which refitting and test work would continue on the vessel.
Last month, Chen Bingde, chief of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Staff, confirmed in public that China was building its first aircraft carrier.
According to Geng Yang, spokesman of the Defense Ministry, China plans to refit the ship and use it for scientific research, testing and training.
Real Admiral Yin Zhuo said it has not been decided whether Li Xiaoyan would be chosen as first captain of the aircraft carrier. The cultivation of a proper captain and skilled pilots has been going on for several years, he said. The captain is usually chosen from highly qualified pilots who are able to operate a plane as well as a naval vessel, he added.
The carrier once known as the Varyag was originally built for the former Soviet navy, but construction was interrupted before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It was reported that the ship was only an empty shell with no engine, electronics or propellers when China bought it from Ukraine in 1998.
