China's Second-ever Aircraft Carrier Reportedly Coming Soon

After a gap of three years, China is readying its second-ever aircraft carrier, reports said Monday. Separate Reuters and Agence France-Presse accounts cited information on a city government microblog and a state-owned newspaper website about the awarding of a contract related to the new carrier. In both cases, the information was later deleted, the reports said. In 1998, China bought a Soviet-era carrier from Ukraine and refitted it, commissioning the vessel as the Liaoning in 2012. State media and some military experts say China wants to begin building its own aircraft carriers by 2020, according to Reuters.