China's aircraft carrier docks at Qingdao(3)

Netizens greeted the news with enthusiasm.

"The military port seems very advanced and amazing, especially when you know that this place (where the homeport is located) was once covered with piles of rocks," a netizen who goes under the name Nayuyan2013 wrote on the military website of Sina.com. 

Many enthusiasts said they were looking forward to China commissioning more carriers.

"The Liaoning is alone in our navy. When can we give it more 'fellow carriers'?" asked Lizishushangdelizi, another micro-blogger.

Their desire was echoed by Zhang, who noted China should have at least three carrier battle groups.

Though the naval port in Qingdao belongs to the North Sea Fleet, that does not necessarily mean the fleet has been granted command of the Liaoning, according to Zhang.

"The carrier will not be able to perform duties without the support from the North Sea Fleet in terms of logistics and personnel, but whether it is a part of the fleet remains unknown."

Other naval news also attracted public attention.

Two 23,000-ton supply ships are undergoing sea trials and expected to enter into service this year, said an earlier report on the strategypage.com, a defense news website in the US. The addition of these ships will substantially enhance the PLA navy's operations and power projection, military observers said, adding they will also extend operational range for the carrier.

The PLA navy's next carrier could very possibly have nuclear propulsion, Du Wenlong, a senior researcher at the PLA's Academy of Military Science, told China Daily.

"China already has the technology and industrial capability to develop and build a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier," he said.

"We already have nuclear-powered submarines, which require more sophisticated technology and manufacturing capabilities, so developing a nuclear-powered carrier will not be difficult."

China has only five major supply ships to support a fleet that is conducting increasingly intense patrols and exercises, Reuters reported, adding the US navy has 34 supply ships to support about 140 major surface warships.

China Shipbuilding Industry Corp, one of the two dominant shipbuilders in China, said in an online news release on Feb 19 that one of its research institutions has received State approval and funding to formally begin research on core technologies for nuclear-powered ships.