Aircraft launched by catapults can get airborne quicker and with greater quantities of fuel and ammunition, giving them an advantage over Chinese planes, which rely on their own power when lifting off from ski-jumps.

The aircraft carrier's name was officially announced on Tuesday. Before then, it had been only known as the Type 001A. Both of China's aircraft carriers, the Shandong and the Liaoning, are named after coastal provinces close to Beijing.

According to Peter Layton, visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute, the Liaoning was intended to act as more of a training vessel, whereas the Shandong is likely to be deployed in combat missions, positioning China alongside a select number of countries with global naval capabilities, including Russia, France, the US, and the United Kingdom.

'World class force'

Naval competition between the two countries has increased in recent years, amid a sweeping Chinese moderation drive that has seen Beijing launch more submarines, warships, amphibious vessels and auxiliaries since 2014 than the entire serving navies of Germany, India, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

The new aircraft carrier took slightly longer to finish its sea trials than its sister ship, the Liaoning, which experts said may have been due to the unexpected difficulties of building and outfitting the complex vessel from scratch.

"I think the politicians in the Chinese Communist Party didn't really comprehend the challenges of acquiring a carrier," said Malcolm Davis, senior analyst in Defense Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

"The Liaoning was relatively easy but the Type 001A and the vessels that follow her will be much more complex. I think the Chinese have got their work cut out for them."