BEIJING // China's first aircraft carrier has left port for its inaugural sea trials amid official assurances the world has "no need to be unsettled" over the vessel.
The carrier sailed from Dalian in Liaoning province yesterday morning, almost a decade after the Soviet-era vessel was bought as an empty shell from Ukraine.
China's official media has played down the significance of the country becoming the world's 10th nation to have a carrier, saying the ship would be used as "a platform for research, experiment and training".
In a commentary yesterday, the official Xinhua news agency said "aircraft carriers will not change the Chinese navy's strategic deployment, nor the country's defensive national defence policy, and thus should not be viewed as a threat".
Last month the state-run China Daily newspaper even branded the 300-metre vessel, launched in 1988 but never operational for the Soviet Union that built it, "obsolete".
Yet Richard Bitzinger, a defence analyst at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies and editor of the book The Modern Defence Industry, said if the carrier really was obsolete, China would not be spending "time and a lot of money on it".
"This [carrier] is indicative of a long-term strategic plan by the Chinese to develop a blue-water navy for their power projection," he said.
"If you listen to what they're saying, 'we need at least three or maybe five aircraft carriers', their intentions are pretty surprising.
"I don't like to use the word alarming, but kind of moving in that direction, where I would be very concerned about an increasingly aggressive or even provocative PLA [People's Liberation Army] navy."
Reports suggest China is building another carrier from scratch for launch in several years' time.
According to Xinhua, the length of the aircraft carrier's first trial is unknown, although the local maritime authority has warned vessels to keep out of a stretch of water in the area until Sunday.
The trials come just two months after China first acknowledged the vessel's existence, although it has been reported on and photographed since last year.
The ship's name has been changed from the Varyag to the Shi Lang.
China's official defence budget has increased by double-digit amounts every year for the past two decades, except last year, and this year rose 12.5 per cent to 601 billion yuan (Dh344bn).
Mr Bitzinger said China was "still trying to figure out how to operate a large ship" such as its refurbished carrier and so the vessel would have "negligible short-term effect" in relation to US regional military power. He suggested it would take at least five years to get the carrier and its aircraft fully operational.
Yet, with China having multiple maritime territorial disputes with neighbours, particularly in the South China Sea, Mr Bitzinger said the vessel could later become significant in projecting military power in the region. He noted Vietnam had already reacted by buying Russian submarines. "If you're trying to project ... 10 or 15 years, you will probably find in Indonesia or Malaysia a new-found appreciation for naval warfare capabilities. You might see them buying more frigates or corvettes or more submarines," he said.
Yu Wanli, an associate professor in Peking University's School of International Studies, said neighbours such as Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, which have territorial disputes with China, "will really feel a threat from this ship".
"This situation will push these countries closer to the United States," he said.
He suggested Vietnam and the Philippines, which have both recently had spats with China over the South China Sea, would be particularly concerned.
"These dispute countries will find they're losing their opportunity to make compromises with China. That's why they're in a hurry to provoke, to take proactive action, because they know time is not on their side," he said.
dbardsley@thenational.ae
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FLIP5
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THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
