China tests advanced version fifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft FC-31

China has tested the latest version of its fifth-generation stealth fighter, state media reported Monday, as it tries to counter the West on the world's most advanced warplanes. 

As per AFP, the test comes as the nation exhibited its military might, sending its sole aircraft carrier the Liaoning into the western Pacific in recent days to lead drills there for the first time. 

The so-called "fifth-generation" twin-engine jet is China's answer to the US F-35, the world's most technically advanced fighter. 

The new FC-31 has "better stealth capabilities, improved electronic equipment and a larger payload capacity" than the previous version which debuted in October 2012, the newspaper said, quoting aviation expert Wu Peixin.