"It was almost certainly just coincidence. But the ceremony attended by China’s leaders on September 25th in the northern port city of Dalian to mark the entry into service of the country’s first aircraft carrier will have struck many of its jittery neighbours as an ominous sign of intent. With tensions building up with Japan in the past few weeks over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyutai islands in the East China Sea, the addition of a carrier to China’s growing naval fleet will have done nothing to lower the temperature. After all, what are carriers for if not to project power?" (Quoted from article)