China to build nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Liaoning within 7 years

The Chinese Army has announced that Beijing wants to field its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Liaoning by the middle of the next decade.

The China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation on Tuesday announced a list of ambitions hope to achieve in weaponry and technical developments for the People's Liberation Army-Navy by 2025, the state-backed Global Times reported.

"The defence company said it will "speed the up the process of making technological breakthroughs in nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, new-type nuclear submarines, quiet submarines, maritime unmanned intelligent confrontation systems, maritime three-dimensional offensive and defensive systems and naval warfare comprehensive electronic information systems," the report said.

China's navy has two aircraft carriers running on conventional oil. The French Navy's flagship, the Charles de Gaulle, is the only non-US aircraft carrier powered by nuclear reactors. Each Nimitz-class and Ford-class carrier in the US Navy is or will be run by nuclear power.