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Taiwan says China starts building first aircraft carrier
Taiwan said Wednesday that its giant neighbour China has started building its first aircraft carrier, a move analysts have said could raise military tensions in the region.
Started? They've been working on this for a while.
The head of Taiwan's National Security Bureau told parliament construction of the carrier had begun, Lin Yu-fang, a legislator of the ruling Kuomintang party, told AFP.

However, the security chief, Tsai Teh-sheng said the carrier's construction "has not been smooth" and that the Chinese navy may struggle to put it into service by 2012 unless it makes a manufacturing breakthrough soon.

"This is the result of an evaluation not only from (Taiwan's) National Security Bureau...but also from the Chinese communists," Tsai said, according to Lin.

Taiwanese military experts expect the People's Liberation Army to take at least 10 years to have its first operating carrier group complete.
Posted by: 3dc 2009-11-05
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=282560