The deputy head of the shipbuilder developing China’s first home-grown aircraft carrier has been detained on suspicion of disciplinary violations, the usual euphemism for corruption.

The inquiry comes as President Xi Jinping is pushing for China to modernise its navy and become a major maritime power.

Collin Koh, a research fellow in maritime security at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said it was unlikely to have any significant effect on Beijing’s maritime strategy.

“Xi has made it necessary for China not only to build a strong PLA Navy – as he emphasised during his visit to a submarine base in Qingdao – but also to build a strong maritime economy”, he said, adding that this would mean maintaining the current momentum within the shipbuilding industry.