[ Maybe the US could answer its own question – by asking why the US
itself
ever needed aircraft carriers ]
The United States said Wednesday it would like China to explain why it needs an aircraft carrier
amid broader US concerns about Beijing’s lack of transparency
over its military aims.
“We would welcome any kind of explanation that China would like to give for needing this kind of equipment,”
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters
when asked whether the carrier would raise regional tensions.
“This is part of our larger concern that China is not as transparent as other countries.
It’s not as transparent as the United States about its military acquisitions,
about its military budget,” she said.
“And we’d like to have the kind of open, transparent relationship in military-to-military affairs,”
Nuland said.