国防部发言人杨宇军在昨天的新闻发布会上证实，一艘排水量5万吨的航母正在东北部港口城市大连建造。同时他强调中国始终坚持和平发展道路和防御性的国防政策。

　　"China has a long coastline and a vast maritime area under its jurisdiction. To safeguard our maritime sovereignty, interests and rights is the sacred mission of the Chinese armed forces," he said.

　　杨宇军表示：“中国有着漫长的海岸线和广阔的管辖海域，维护国家领海主权和海洋权益，是中国武装力量的神圣职责。”

　　China has ramped up its naval modernisation efforts since 2012 as it seeks to become a maritime power to protect its growing interests. In recent years, it has been embroiled in territorial disputes with regional nations in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

　　自2012年以来，为保障不断增加的海上利益，中国加大了海军现代化的步伐。近几年来，中国卷入到了同东海和南海地区国家的领土争端。

　　Until now, the Chinese government had neither denied nor confirmed its carrier-building programme - partly to allay concerns over its growing naval might, especially amid tensions with neighbours - though there had been leaks in recent years.

　　此前，尽管有建造航母的消息流出，但中国政府一直对航母建造计划不置可否，这在一定程度上减轻了对其海军实力增长的担忧，特别是在与邻国关系紧张的时候。

　　In January 2014, Liaoning provincial party chief Wang Min was quoted in the Hong Kong-based Ta Kung Pao newspaper as saying that construction of a second carrier had begun and would be completed in six years, and that China planned to build four carriers in total.

　　2014年1月，香港《大公报》援引辽宁省委书记王珉的话称，第二艘航母已经开始建造，并于六年后完工，中国共计划建造四艘航母。

　　Experts say it is no surprise China is building its own carrier. Its sole carrier, the 60,000-ton Liaoning, bought from Ukraine in 1998 and commissioned in late 2012 after undergoing refitting, is over 25 years old and prone to mechanical problems. It is thus deemed more of a test model for building future carriers.

　　专家表示，中国建造国产航母不足为奇。中国目前唯一的航母是排水量6万吨的辽宁号，该航母在1998年从乌克兰手中购得，经过改装后于2012年末服役，已经超过25年的寿命了，容易出现机械故障，因此被认为更多的是作为以后建造航母的试验模型。