All eyes on China in Asian arms build-up

The decks of the Liaoning were filled with saluting sailors rather than fighter aircraft and in the smog it was impossible to see Hu Jintao and other dignitaries at the commissioning ceremony for China's first aircraft carrier. The carrier itself is a retrofitted Ukrainian model and was once earmarked to be a floating casino in Macau. Compared with the 97,000-tonne, nuclear-powered George Washington, the centrepiece of the US Navy's fleet in Asia, the Liaoning is a modest vessel.

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