[BITList] maiden sea

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WTF is a maiden sea?
ct

China launches first aircraft carrier on maiden seaBy Chris Buckley

BEIJING | Tue Aug 9, 2011 11:44pm EDT 

(Reuters) - China's first aircraft carrier held its sea trial Wednesday, a step likely to stoke patriotic pride at home and jitters abroad about Beijing's naval ambitions.

The long-awaited debut of the vessel, refitted from a former Soviet craft, marked a step forward in China's long-term plan to build a carrier force that can project power into the Asian region, where seas are spanned by busy shipping lanes and thorny territorial disputes.

"Its symbolic significance outweighs its practical significance," said Ni Lexiong, an expert on Chinese maritime policy at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.

"We're already a maritime power, and so we need an appropriate force, whether that's aircraft carriers or battleships, just like the USA
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