China will continue to build aircraft carriers -- it now plans to build more than six -- with the third using the steam catapult system deployed on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and the fourth to be nuclear powered.

"We will definitely continue to build aircraft carriers," said Admiral Li Jie with the Naval Military Academic Research Institute of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

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"The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) will have more than three in the future, so as to ensure its combat ability while conducting practice and maintenance at the same time."

The third carrier, identified as the Type 002, is "larger and more capable" the CNS Shandong (CV-17), PLAN's second carrier launched only on April 26 at the Dalian Shipyard in northeast Liaoning Province. It's been under construction in Shanghai since March 2015.

"I think we must have five to six aircraft carriers. It will take 20 to 30 years for the PLAN to deploy all of them and be able to conduct strike group operations," said Admiral Li.

He also said the Type 002 will look different from both the CNS Liaoning (CV-16) and the CNS Shandong.

"It (the Type 002 ) will look more like the U.S.' aircraft carriers, rather than Russia's," said Adm. Li.

He also said the Type 002 will dispense with the ski-jumps seen on the Liaoning and Shandong and instead adopt the steam catapults commonly used by the U.S. Navy on all its 10 Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered supercarriers.

Adm. Li said the steam catapults will enable the Type 002 to launch heavier aircraft much faster.

"Its fully-loaded displacement will be about 10,000 tons larger than the Type 001A and but it will still be conventionally powered."

The final number of carriers China will need depends on several factors, including the scope of the country's maritime interests and its potential opponents, said Lan Yun, deputy editor of Beijing-based magazine Modern Ships.

Lan said its better for China not to suspend construction of carriers any time soon.