BEIJING - CHINA will 'seriously consider' building its first aircraft carrier, the Ministry of National Defense said on Tuesday in another sign of Beijing's expanding military ambitions.

An aircraft carrier is 'a symbol of a country's overall national strength as well as the competitiveness of the country's naval force,' said ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Huang Xueping. He said China must ensure its maritime security and sovereignty but gave no timetable for launching such a vessel.

China's navy usually stays close to its shores, though the government said Tuesday that it will send three ships to the Indian Ocean to deter pirate attacks on Chinese vessels.

An aircraft carrier would allow China's navy to fight farther out at sea by providing air cover in places that land-based planes cannot reach. Military analysts see a Chinese aircraft carrier mainly as a deterrent to US intervention in a possible conflict over Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory.

'The Chinese government will take into overall account all of the relevant factors and seriously consider the relevant issue,' Col Huang said at a news conference in response to question about whether the time was right for China to build an aircraft carrier.

China's neighbors have been closely watching its possible ambitions to extend the reach of its military as defense spending has grown by double-digit rates in recent years.

Beijing's reported military budget this year was 417.8 billion yuan (S$85 billion), up 17.6 per cent from 2007.

An aircraft carrier also could give Beijing an edge in any conflict over the South China Sea, where it has conflicting claims with neighbouring governments over large areas. -- AP