Chinese carrier Shandong moors in Hong Kong on 'great power' visit
Beijing has said the Shandong and its escort vessels, which include the destroyers Zhanjiang and Yanan and the frigate Yuncheng, will visit the Chinese finance hub for five days and host "tours and cultural exchange activities".
The Shandong's visit came days after it concluded combat drills in the western Pacific alongside China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.
It anchored at the western edge of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour while the escorts berthed at the People's Liberation Army naval base on Stonecutters Island on the northern side of the famous waterway.
City leader John Lee said at a welcoming ceremony that the visit would let the public "experience the magnificence and sophistication of the country's modern warships".
The PLA navy "not only protects national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, but is also an important force for regional peace and stability," Lee said.
The Shandong and the Liaoning are both of a modified Soviet design, with J-15 fighter jets and helicopters seen on the Shandong's distinctive "ski jump" deck on Thursday.
China's third and more advanced carrier, the Fujian, is undergoing sea trials.
Tickets to visit the vessels in Hong Kong were snapped up within minutes on social media app WeChat.
'Great power'
Crowds flocked to the waterfront and nearby hillsides on Thursday morning to catch a glimpse of the vessels.
City officials set up a restricted flying zone over parts of the harbour and temporarily reduced ferry services.
The Shandong is the second Chinese aircraft carrier to visit Hong Kong, following a 2017 visit by the Liaoning.
"The idea appears to be to impress upon the Hong Kong public... the ruling (Chinese Communist Party's) quest for building what's termed as the status of a maritime great power," said Collin Koh, a naval affairs specialist at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
China has rapidly upgraded its naval forces as it seeks to expand its reach in the Pacific and challenge a US-led alliance.
The US Department of Defense said in a December report that China numerically has the largest navy in the world, with a battle force of more than 370 ships and submarines.
Japanese authorities said China's dual-carrier exercise in the Pacific last month was the first of its kind and reflected Beijing's intentions to improve operational capabilities in distant areas.
Chong Ja Ian of the National University of Singapore said 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.
The Shandong was reportedly present in Philippine waters in April during a joint US-Philippines military exercise, deepening tensions between Manila and Beijing over disputed territorial claims in the South China Sea.
In that same month, the vessel also took part in drills testing the Chinese navy's ability to "blockade" Taiwan, according to the Eastern Theater Command.
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
The impossible warming of China-EU relations
Some speculated that Beijing was launching a charm offensive to win over Brussels and European capitals, unsettled by Donald Trump's return to power and the trade war he declared on Europe. However, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's tour of Europe from June 30 to July 5 did little to smooth over differences less than three weeks ahead of the summit China and the European Union are set to hold on July 24 to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties. Beijing made some gestures. On Friday, July 4, the Chinese authorities announced trade retaliation targeting wine-based spirits, but coupled them with exemptions for producers who agree to minimum prices – effectively protecting a portion of the French cognac industry that was in the crosshairs. In late April, Beijing had already announced the lifting of sanctions imposed in 2021 on five members of the European Parliament and their families for their advocacy on behalf of the Uyghur minority. Despite these limited overtures, numerous disputes persisted and the European Union has increasingly adopted a tit-for-tat approach. While China enacted a policy of buying only Chinese-made medical devices – a measure that penalized European groups such as Siemens – Europe has, since June 20, barred Chinese companies from bidding on public tenders in this sector.
Euronews
8 hours ago
- Euronews
EU Commission bewails 'unfair' Chinese Cognac duties
China's imposition of anti-dumping duties on European Cognac is "unfair" and "unjustified", a European Commission spokesperson said on Friday, underscoring a downtick in relations ahead of an EU-China summit scheduled for the end of July. 'China's measures are unfair, we believe they are unjustified, we believe they are inconsistent with the applicable international rule and are thus unfounded,' Commission spokesperson Olof Gill said on Friday. The Asian giant has announced anti-dumping duties of up to 34,9% over EU brandy for a period of five years starting from 5 July 2025, sparing some of the largest EU Cognac producers which had made minimum price commitments, such as Remy Cointreau, Pernod Ricard and LVMH's Hennessy. The Chinese launched an investigation into brandy last year in retaliation for tariffs imposed by the EU on Chinese electric vehicles. It was followed by the announcement of several other investigations into EU pork and dairy products, which have not yet been closed. Anti-dumping duties were also imposed in May on some EU industrial plastics. Gill added that the duties on EU brandy were 'part of a worrying pattern of China abusing trade defence instruments, starting and conducting investigations on the basis of questionable allegations and insufficient evidence, all this within a short period of time.' This blow to EU brandy comes as some media report that China has cancelled the second day of the EU-China summit scheduled for 24 and 25 July. The Commission's chief spokesperson Paula Pinho refused to confirm the cancellation, arguing that the summit's agenda 'has not been agreed yet' by the EU and China. Points of contention are increasing between the two, despite hopes for a diplomatic reset born of the jeopardy both sides face in the face of an ongoing tariff dispute with the US. The South China Morning Post reported on Friday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas it did not want to see a Russian loss in Ukraine because it feared the US would then shift its whole focus to Beijing.
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
China's first domestically built aircraft carrier visits Hong Kong
China's first domestically built aircraft carrier, the Shandong, docked in Hong Kong on Thursday as part of Beijing's campaign to boost patriotism, just days after the territory marked the 28th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese sovereignty. Escorted by a vessel from its strike group, the Shandong entered Hong Kong waters in the early hours of the morning, accompanied by two destroyers and a frigate, according to Chinese state media. The warships will be open to public visits over the weekend. Local media reported that residents had already bought all 10,000 tickets for the public tours. Of those, 2,000 were allocated for visits aboard the Shandong, with the remainder for the accompanying destroyer and frigate. The visit comes as Beijing intensifies efforts to foster national pride in Hong Kong, particularly following the widespread anti-government protests in 2019. Since then, many pro-democracy activists have been imprisoned under sweeping national security legislation. Although Hong Kong retains some semi-autonomous status and enjoys civil liberties not found in mainland Chinese cities, its military and foreign affairs remain under the control of Beijing. The People's Liberation Army maintains a land, sea and air garrison in the city. The Shandong is China's second aircraft carrier and the first to be entirely constructed domestically. It is smaller than its US counterparts, displacing 70,000 tonnes fully loaded and carrying 24 Shenyang J-10 fighter jets. In April, the carrier was dispatched for exercises in the eastern maritime and airspace surrounding Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its own. A month later, the Shandong and China's first carrier, the Liaoning, carried out joint drills in the Pacific, beyond the so-called first island chain, in a show of increasing naval ambition. The Liaoning, a vessel purchased from Ukraine and refurbished, last visited Hong Kong in 2017. A third carrier with a flat-deck design is currently undergoing sea trials, while a fourth is under construction.
