Carrier of navy's pride
Updated: 2013-04-19 07:32
By Zhao Shengnan (China Daily)
Zhao Shengnan shares her experience on aircraft carrier Liaoning ahead of navy's 64th anniversary on April 23.
Zhang Zheng got his first close-up of an aircraft carrier in Portsmouth, England, in 2002.
A decade later, he was named captain of China's first carrier, Liaoning.
"A big country cannot do without aircraft carriers," said Zhang, 44.
"As captain of China's first aircraft carrier, what I care about most is accomplishing our mission and ensuring the safety of the ship," he said.
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Now, our job is to conduct tests under increasingly complicated weather conditions, with different types of aircraft carrier-borne jets and a more comprehensive logistic capacity."
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"the Chinese navy needs to reach every place that other countries can reach to support the country's growth. The navy has to be able to compete with any naval force from any country in any area," he said.
"The world has been impressed by the navy's anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden and in Somalian waters, so the role Liaoning will play will further improve China's influence and lead the direction of its naval development."
Since 2008, China has sent 14 naval task forces on escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. Still, both Liaoning and the Chinese navy have a long way to go, said Captain Zhang.
"It's only natural that the political commissar and I are under pressure in the face of this task and I dare not make any mistakes," .....
