HONG KONG – China’s first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Shandong, arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday in its maiden visit to the semiautonomous region, just days after the territory marked the 28th anniversary of its handover to China from Britain.
Together with three escort ships, the 70,000-ton warship entered the former British colony’s signature Victoria Harbor at around 8 a.m. for a five-day stay. The fleet will be open to the public over the weekend, with around 2,000 entry tickets snapped up within minutes via the WeChat social media app in recent days.
Chief Executive John Lee said during a welcoming ceremony that through the Shandong visit, Hong Kong residents could “experience firsthand” the Chinese navy’s advancements, thereby strengthening their “sense of national pride.”
The Shandong, which was commissioned in 2019, is the first Chinese carrier to call at Hong Kong since the arrival of the Liaoning in July 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997. The Liaoning was commissioned in 2012 as China’s first aircraft carrier.
A man in his 70s, who ascended a mountain to observe the aircraft carrier, expressed excitement over the Shandong visit, saying that such a display of China’s military strength made him feel proud of the country.
The Shandong strike group is considered a major force of the Chinese navy. It joined military exercises near Taiwan in 2023 and April this year.
