China's first domestically built aircraft carrier today sailed into Hong Kong, just days after the territory marked 28 years under Chinese rule and five years under Beijing's National Security Law.
Commissioned in 2019, the more than 300m Shandong is China's second aircraft carrier and key to the country's regional ambitions under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), who has overseen a massive naval buildup that has rattled neighbors in the region.
Beijing earlier announced the Shandong and its escort vessels — which include the destroyer Zhanjiang and frigate Yuncheng — would visit Hong Kong for five days.
Photo: CNA
“During the visit, open-ship-day activities and cultural exchanges will be held to help Hong Kong compatriots have a more direct and in-depth understanding of the development of China's national defense and military building in the new era,” the Chinese Ministry of National Defense said in an English-language statement released on Saturday last week.
Hong Kong lawmakers praised the event as a “living patriotic lesson” highlighting China’s military and industrial advancements, the China Daily reported today.
The flotilla was spotted early this morning sailing off the southern coast of Hong Kong Island.
The Shandong is the second Chinese aircraft carrier to visit Hong Kong, following the Liaoning's visit in 2017.
The two carriers last month carried out operations in the Western Pacific simultaneously for the first time, and crossed the second island chain, also for the first time, national security officials said on Monday.
Japanese authorities said the dual-carrier exercise reflected Beijing's intentions to improve operational capabilities in distant areas.
In December last year, the US Department of Defense said in a report that numerically China has the largest navy in the world, with a battle force of more than 370 ships and submarines.
Chong Ja Ian (莊嘉穎), an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, said that China's latest exercises suggest "both aircraft carriers are ready to engage in more sophisticated operations," but some unknowns remain, including the operational tempo they can bear.
In April, the Shandong took part in drills testing the Chinese navy's ability to "blockade" Taiwan, the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said.
It was also reportedly present in Philippine waters in April during a joint US-Philippine military exercise, worsening tensions between Manila and Beijing.
Additional reporting by Hollie Younger
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS