US Commander Calls Chinese Interest in Aircraft Carriers 'Understandable'(and willing to help???)

The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific says China's interest in developing an aircraft carrier fleet is 'understandable,' and that the United States would be willing to help. Admiral Timothy Keating made the comment during a wide-ranging news conference in Beijing Saturday morning. VOA's Al Pessin reports.

Admiral Keating and Admiral Wu chat before lunch, 11 May 2007 Admiral Keating says he believes Chinese leaders are "intrigued" by the idea of having aircraft carriers. But he says they need to understand the impact such a powerful, mobile weapon system can have.

"An aircraft carrier from a country pulls into port, and it is an unmistakable demonstration of will and resolve," he said. "And we had a very good conversation about that. I do not have any better idea as to China's intentions to develop, or not, a carrier program, but we had a very pleasant and candid exchange about the larger issues attendant to a carrier program."

At a lunch Friday with China's navy chief, Vice Admiral Wu Shengli, Admiral Keating stressed the difficulty and complexity of developing, building and operating an aircraft carrier. But at his news conference Saturday Keating said the United States would be willing to help if that is what China decides to do.

"It is not an area where we would want any tension to arise unnecessarily," he added. "And we would, if they choose to develop [an aircraft carrier program] help them to the degree that they seek and the degree that we're capable, in developing their programs."

Admiral Keating also told reporters he believes he made progress during his talks with Chinese military and civilian leaders Friday toward a better understanding of each country's strategic plans. He said he wants to increase the quality and level of challenge in U.S.-China military exercises, and expand exchanges among lower-ranking troops.

He also repeated comments he made to VOA on Friday, criticizing China's test of an anti-satellite missile in January - a view he also shared with the most senior official he met here, the vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission. During that meeting, the two senior officers also discussed the need to avoid any misunderstanding or miscalculation that could lead to conflict in the Taiwan Straits.

At the news conference, Admiral Keating was also asked about Taiwan's reduction in its defense spending, as a percentage of its economy. He said he is not as concerned with percentages as he is with capabilities, and he believes the past nearly 60 years of stability across the Taiwan Straits is evidence that the island is spending enough.

"To me, the manifest evidence is pretty clear. Do those of use in the military ever think we have enough? Well, we'll take more if we can get it, but the Taiwan military capabilities are significant," he noted. "We emphasize that they remain defensive in nature. Our message is clear to the Taiwanese. And it is my understanding and my position that their defensive capabilities are adequate to task."

Later, a U.S. official traveling with the Admiral told VOA the United States would like Taiwan's legislature to approve some military purchases that have been pending for years. But the official also said there is disagreement over exactly what Taiwan should buy to enhance its defenses.

Admiral Keating, who became the U.S. Pacific commander in March, will continue his five-day visit to China with a trip to Nanjing on Sunday to visit the headquarters of the military district directly across the straits from Taiwan. He said he hopes to visit more Chinese military installations in future trips, including units that handle the country's missile force.

I discovered this six months ago,but the following excerpt describes about an ex navy chinese businuss guy bought an Aircraft carrier from the ruskies but was prevented by the chinese navy from parking it at the naval base.Read on=
Soviet aircraft carrier Varyag

Varyag under tow.
Varyag was to be an Admiral Kuznetsov class multirole aircraft carrier. She was known as Riga[1] when her keel was laid down at Nikolayev South (formerly Shipyard 444) in Nikolayev December 6, 1985,[2] and she was launched December 4, 1988, but she was renamed Varyag (Varangian) in late 1990, after a famous Russian cruiser. Construction stopped by 1992 with the ship structurally complete but without electronics. Ownership was transferred to the Ukraine as the Soviet Union broke up and the ship was laid up unmaintained, then stripped. In early 1998, she lacked engines, a rudder, and much of her operating systems. She was put up for auction.
Currently the ship is being examined and repaired by China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) after purchasing it at auction. It was widely reported that the ship would become a casino in the Chinese SAR of Macau. This has been proven incorrect as the ship is in a PLAN drydock in Dalian.[citation needed] It has been painted PLAN grey.[citation needed] Many analysts believe that the ship will be used for training as China builds an indigenous aircraft carrier with greater capability.
[citation needed] Role Su-33 'Flanker-D' on board Admiral KuznetsovWhile designated an aircraft carrier by the West, the design of the Admiral Kuznetsov' class implies a mission different from that of either the United States Navy’s carriers or those of the French Navy. The term used by her builders to describe the Russian ships is tyazholiy avianesushchiy kreyser (TAKR or TAVKR) - “heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser” - intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and maritime missile-carrying aircraft of the Russian fleet.
This designation allows the Soviet/Russian Navy to circumvent the refusal by Turkey to let aircraft carriers pass the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Fixed-wing aircraft on Admiral Kuznetsovs are essentially constrained to air superiority operations. Were Varyag to become operational, it would have also carried for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, as well as anti-ship missiles.,BR> Sold at auction In April 1998, Ukrainian Trade Minister Roman Shpek announced the winning bid—$20 million USD from a small Hong Kong company called the Chong Lot Travel Agency Ltd. Chong Lot proposed to tow Varyag out of the Black Sea, through the Suez Canal and around southern Asia to Macau, where they would moor the ship and convert it into a floating hotel and gambling parlor.[2] It would be similar to the attractions Kiev in Tianjin and Minsk at Minsk World in Shenzen. However, considerable evidence suggested that the future of Varyag is linked to the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and its program to develop an aircraft carrier.
Before the auction was closed, officials in Macau had warned Chong Lot that they would not be permitted to berth Varyag in the harbor. The sale was carried out anyway. Chong Lot is owned by a Hong Kong firm called Chin Luck (Holdings) Company. Four of Chin Luck's six board members live in Yantai, China where a major Chinese Navy shipyard is located. Chin Luck's chairman is a former career military officer with the People's Liberation Army.[2] However, the large involvement of former PLA officers is not necessarily a sign that the firm is a cover organization, because, for historical reasons, it is not unusual in mainland China for a company that actually is involved in tourism or travel to be controlled by former PLA officers. However, the People's Republic of China's interest in Varyag is puzzling. Due to the poor condition of the hulk, it is thought highly unlikely that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will commission the carrier; rather, many analysts suggest that the PLAN intends to examine the carrier as a model for an indigenous carrier to be built later. Others counter that the carrier does not represent modern technology; the PLAN could probably have learned all they needed from Varyag without towing it all the way to China.[2]
Towed to China

Varyag under tow.In mid-2000, the Dutch ITC tugboat Suhaili with a Filipino crew was hired to take Varyag under tow. However, Chong Lot could not get permission from Turkey to transit the dangerous Bosporus strait—in addition to safety issues, the Montreux Treaty of 1936 does not allow aircraft carriers to pass the Dardanelles—and the hulk spent 16 months circling in the Black Sea. High-level PRC government ministers conducted negotiations in Ankara on Chong Lot's behalf, offering to allow Chinese tourists to visit cash-strapped Turkey if the travel agency's ship were allowed to pass through the straits. On 1 November 2001, Turkey finally relented from its position that the vessel posed too great of a danger to the bridges of Istanbul, and allowed the transit. Escorted by 27 vessels including 11 tug boats and three pilot boats, Varyag took six hours to transit the strait; most large ships take an hour and a half. The Russian press reported that 16 pilots and 250 seamen were involved. At 11:45am on 2 November, she completed her passage and made for Gallipoli and Çanakkale at 5.8 knots. She passed through the Dardanelles without incident.
On November 3, Varyag was caught in a force 9 gale and broke adrift while passing the Greek island of Skyros. Sea rescue workers tried to re-capture the hulk, which was drifting toward the island of Evia. The seven-member crew (three Russians, three Ukrainians and one Filipino) remained on board as six tugboats tried to reestablish their tow. However, after many failed attempts to reattach the lines, a Greek coast guard rescue helicopter landed on Varyag and picked up four of the seven crew.
One tug managed to make a line fast to the ship later in the day, but high winds severely hampered efforts by two other tugs to secure the ship. On 6 November, Aries Lima (reported as both Dutch and Portuguese), a sailor from the tug Haliva Champion, died after a fall while attempting to reattach the tow lines. On 7 November, the hulk was taken back under tow and progress resumed at some three knots.
The Suez Canal does not permit passage of "dead" ships—those without power—so the hulk was towed through the Straits of Gibraltar, around the Cape of Good Hope, and through the Straits of Malacca. The tugs towing the hulk maintained an average speed of 6 knots over the 15,200 nautical mile journey, calling for bunkers and supplies at Piraeus, Greece, Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Maputo, Mozambique, and Singapore en route. They entered Chinese waters on 20 February 2002, and arrived 3 March at Dalian Shipyard in northeastern China. China continued to assert that Varyag would be a casino. However, when Macau awarded new casino licenses in February 2002, Chong Lot was not among successful bidders. The hulk was tied up at Dalian and left to rust. The total cost of acquiring the hulk was over $30 million USD: $25 million to the Ukrainian government for the hull, nearly $500,000 in transit fees, and some $5 million for the towing.
Three years later After little activity for three years, Varyag was moved in early June 2005 to a dry dock at Dalian. Her hull was sandblasted and scaffolding erected around her. The only statement that could be obtained from Chinese officials is that she is being maintained for military purposes — not entertainment or any other private enterprise. The most visible modification done to the Varyag is that her island has been painted in a red marine primer that is used to treat corroded metal. Speculation Analysts believe that the PLAN will use Varyag as a training platform for carrier take-offs and landings. Robert Karniol, the Asia editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, said: "The Chinese haven't seen this type of carrier before and it could be very useful to them. They are trying to vacuum up as much know how as they can." Liu Huaqing, a senior admiral of the PLAN and proponent of naval moderization, has spoken of the 21st century as the "century of the sea" and called for naval modernization over several decades. At the same time, there has been resistance within the PLAN at Liu Huaqing's vision for an extensive Chinese navy, leading to constant debates between developing aircraft carriers and submarines.
The United States Department of Defense's annual report on Chinese military capabilities for 2002 states that while continuing to research and discuss possibilities, China appears to have set aside indefinitely plans to acquire an aircraft carrier. This view is consistent with the statements of the Chinese government, which has publicly stated that an aircraft carrier is far too expensive for it to be considered right now.
Nevertheless, it was painted in PLAN grey in 2005. [citation needed] On 24 October 2006, the Kommersant online daily newspaper revealed Russia plans to sell up to 50 Su-33 fighters for in a $2.5 billion deal.[citation needed]
Source is "http://www.answers.com/topic/soviet-aircraft-carrier-varyag"

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