It's almost funny how coy China and Japan have been about their naval build up. I remember back when China purchased their carrier from the Ukraine they claimed they wanted it so they could turn it into a casino lol A Chinese company with links to China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) bought the ship just as Soviet warships were being cut for scrap. It said it wanted to turn the Varyag into a floating casino in Macau and in 2001 the ship was towed to China. The Chinese military confirmed in June 2011 that it was being refitted to serve as the nation's first aircraft carrier. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19710040
I'm sure the US military secretly approves and knows what it could be used for. I read the sequester may see 3 US carriers out of action in the near future and if China gets too bold it wouldn't hurt to have a platform the JSF could probably operate from in the region.
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