BEIJING: China has launched its second aircraft carrier which will join an existing one bought from Ukraine, boosting its naval capabilities amid growing South China Sea tensions.

The 50,000-tonne new aircraft carrier, the first one to be built entirely at home, was transferred from a dry dock into the water at a launch ceremony in northeast Dalian shipyard of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corp (CSIC), Ministry of National Defense said.

“After the launch, the new carrier will undergo equipment debugging, outfitting and comprehensive mooring trials,” the ministry said.

The launch ceremony was attended by General Fan Changlong, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

The launch comes amid heated rhetoric between the US and North Korea in recent days. The US has deployed warships and a submarine to the Korean peninsula, prompting an angry reaction from North Korea. China, a close ally of Pyongyang, has urged for calm.

China’s military is also eyeing more aircraft carriers to enhance its capabilities. According to the state-run news agency, China’s military experts suggest that the third aircraft carrier to be built in Shanghai may be nuclear powered.