China’s two aircraft carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, recently completed military drills in the South China Sea, plans to launch its third aircraft carrier by end of 2020 or early 2021

In 2015, the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC, China) Ministry of National Defense published its military strategy which highlighted the increasing importance of maritime dominance stating that “the traditional mentality that land outweighs sea must be abandoned, and great importance has to be attached to managing the seas and oceans and protecting maritime rights and interests.”