The Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, in September 2012 file photo. China is building its second aircraft carrier, the defense ministry said Thursday, as Beijing expands its naval capabilities amid maritime disputes with neighbors in the East and South China Seas. AFP FILE PHOTO

BEIJING – China is building its second aircraft carrier, the defense ministry said Thursday, as Beijing expands its naval capabilities amid maritime disputes with neighbors in the East and South China Seas.

“This aircraft carrier is being developed according to entirely domestic designs,” defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular briefing, adding it was under construction in Dalian, a northeastern port.

The official confirmation comes after months of rumors and hints from military officials.

Beijing has rapidly expanded its military in recent years, rattling its neighbors and attracting the attention of the United States, which is making a foreign policy “pivot” towards Asia.

China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was a second-hand Soviet ship built more than 25 years ago. It was commissioned in 2012 after extensive refits.

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