China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, anchored for the first time at its homeport in Qingdao, eastern Shandong Province on Wednesday morning.

China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, anchored for the first time in a military port in Qingdao, eastern Shandong province on Wednesday morning.[Photo/The Beijing Times]

 

The anchoring means that the naval base for aircraft carrier in Qingdao is operational after four years of construction, according to a People's Liberation Army Navy statement.

Huang Yi, an officer with the construction team of the base, told Xinhua that the carrier homeport has the longest breakwater in China, which could resist a once-in-a-century huge typhoon.

Huang said he was proud of the first-class construction quality that his team has delivered.

Qingdao is ice-free throughout the year for berthing civilian and naval vessels. The city is also the base of the PLA Navy's Beihai Fleet headquarters.

The Liaoning left a shipyard at Dalian in northeast Liaoning Province on Tuesday for its first voyage of the year, during which weapon systems of the carrier were tested.

After its delivery to the PLA Navy on Sept. 25, the Liaoning has undergone a series of sea trials and experiments, including successful test flights of carrier-borne J-15 fighter jets.