After a 37-day scientific and training mission in the South China Sea, China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning returned to its home port of Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province on January 1.

Talking about how many aircraft carriers China should have, Du Wenlong, military expert, offered the view that "one is too little, two not enough, and three might just meet the demand" is a relatively reasonable analysis.

He further said if China had only one aircraft carrier, it would not conform to China's status as a world power, nor to the demands imposed by the length of the coastline. Considering China's ocean environment, two aircraft carriers are not enough to safeguard marine interests. If China has three aircraft carriers, they can maintain a sustained combat capability: maintenance, safeguarding and patrol respectively.

China's Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun has said that Liaoning is China's first aircraft carrier, but will not be the only one.