China's first aircraft carrier has set off from the eastern port of Qingdao on a 23-day "cross-sea training voyage" in the South China Sea, state media says.
Accompanied by two destroyers and two frigates, the carrier's first such mission marks "a necessary stage of experimentation and training" for equipment and personnel, the official Xinhua news agency reported from on board the Liaoning on Tuesday.
The agency quoted naval officials as saying the mission was a "normal arrangement in the carrier's scheduled training."
The report did not give the vessel's route across the South China Sea, which contains island groups disputed between China and Southeast Asian nations.
The refitted former Soviet carrier began sea trials in 2011 and was commissioned by the Chinese navy in September 2012.
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Military analysts said they expect China to use the carrier mainly for training.
