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
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