China building third aircraft carrier: Think tank

Recent satellite photographs indicate China's construction of its third aircraft carrier is well underway, a Washington think tank reported Tuesday.

ChinaPower, a unit of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, published photos of a large vessel under construction at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai.

The bow and hull are already under assembly, the pictures indicated, and are likely to be the beginnings of the 80-85,000 tonne type 002 aircraft carrier the Chinese navy has been known to be planning.

"Visible through the clouds and mist is what looks to be a bow and main hull section of a large vessel," ChinaPower said.

"While details regarding the Type 002 are limited, what is observable at Jiangnan is consistent with what is expected for the People's Liberation Army Navy's third aircraft carrier."