Since the commissioning of the Liaoning in itself does not change the present balance of power, it makes more sense if it is interpreted as a diplomatic message especially to the ASEAN countries.

The ongoing global financial crisis has had an increasing strain on the defence budgets of different European countries. In the case of France, an intelligent and anticipatory/ preventive planning has mitigated the effects of the crisis but challenges remain, which have to be taken seriously and addressed effectively, if France wants to maintain its strategic autonomy.