Seems so:
China’s new aircraft carrier set to miss 70th anniversary parade as sea trials continue
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• Domestically developed Type 001A unlikely to be ready before the end of the year, experts say
• Naval parade is planned for October 1 to celebrate founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949
China’s first home-grown aircraft carrier will not be ready in time to take part in the naval parade planned as part of the celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, military sources said.
Observers say the vessel, known as the Type 001A, has yet to complete its sea trials, although there have been no statements to that effect from the People’s Liberation Army, China’s military.
“Based on its current progress [in its sea trials], the carrier won’t appear on October 1 [China’s National Day]. It’s more likely the giant ship will be ready by the end of the year, and then be formally commissioned into the navy,” a person familiar with the project said.
“I am disappointed with such a result, but it’s a fact that the Type 001A is not on the weapons list for the National Day celebration,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The ship needs to complete a series of laborious and comprehensive tests, which is the most important stage in proving it is a real battleship.”
The Type 001A’s likely absence from the parade is nothing new. Several military experts predicted it would be ready in time for the PLA Navy’s 70th anniversary parade in the Yellow Sea off the coast of Qingdao in Shandong province on April 23, but the vessel – based on China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning – failed to show.
Where once Beijing might have allowed military hardware that was still under development to take part, for public relations reasons, in a high-profile parade such as the one planned for October, the Central Military Commission (CMC), headed by President Xi Jinping, now sets much higher standards, according to Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie.
“The CMC demands all new weapons undergo a series of strict tests and trials, and no longer allows these things to be rushed through so they [the hardware] are ready by a certain date or so they can take part in a parade,” he said.
