The Chinese navy on Wednesday launched its new aircraft carrier as Beijing continues to grow and modernize its maritime forces.
The ship, which currently does not have a name, is China's first domestically built and second overall carrier, the BBC reported. It is not expected to be operational until 2020 and will carry China's Shenyang J-15 fighter jets.
The ship's construction "shows our country's indigenous aircraft carrier design and construction has achieved major step-by-step results," the official Xinhua news agency said.
Wednesday's launch comes as China continues to assert its claims over virtually all of the South China Sea and tensions between the United States and North Korea, a Chinese ally, continue to rise. It is also the latest sign that China is working to expand its military presence and capabilities.
The carrier's flight deck and bridge were lined with red flags during Wednesday's ceremony, which came three days after the 68th birthday celebration of the founding of the Chinese navy, while streamers flew over the sides. Chinese patriotic music played while the traditional bottle of champagne broke over the ship's hull.
Much about the new carrier is a state secret, but experts are analyzing footage of her. The ship is not expected to be as technologically advanced as the current Nimitz class of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, and even further behind the Gerald Ford class, which is currently being tested.
Still, the carrier is a leap forward for China's military. The first Chinese aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was purchased from Ukraine in 1998 and refitted in China.
Neither of the Chinese carriers are nuclear powered as all American carriers currently are.
In recent years, China has invested increasingly more money into its military, with a greater emphasis on its navy than in the past. Until recently, the Chinese navy had little presence outside of the country's immediate region in the Western Pacific, but carriers give it a greater ability to operate further from China's shores.
The new American Gerald Ford class of carriers had its lead ship tested in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month. The sea trials were considered successful.