China’s aircraft carrier Shandong began a five-day visit to Hong Kong on Thursday, accompanied by two guided-missile destroyers and a missile frigate.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) said it was gratified by the heavy turnout of onlookers who welcomed the carrier group to port.
“I’m here to see the strength of China, the strength of the PLA Navy. I couldn’t grab a ticket to board the vessels, so I woke up early today to come here and catch a glimpse,” one local resident told Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), the island’s public broadcast outlet.
“I managed to make a reservation for the Shandong carrier as well as the other vessels. I had to keep trying because the tickets were really sought after. I only managed to get a ticket after multiple attempts,” said another.
“It is the first time for me to see an aircraft carrier and it’s made in China. I feel so proud because I come here from Yunnan, a southwest province in China, and we don’t have the sea,” said a tourist visiting from the mainland.
The Shandong is China’s second aircraft carrier and the first to be indigenously produced. The original carrier, Liaoning, is an aging Russian ship purchased from Ukraine in 1998. Shandong was followed by China’s third carrier, the Fujian, which has been conducting aircraft launch and recovery tests and may enter service later this year.
According to RTHK, all 10,000 admission tickets for tours of the carrier group had been sold by Monday. Only 2,000 of the tickets were for the Shandong itself, while the others gave admission to the destroyers and frigate.
John Lee, chief executive of Hong Kong’s Beijing-controlled government, found the carrier’s visit “uplifting.”
“The Shandong fleet’s visit to Hong Kong this time will allow SAR residents to experience the grandeur and advancement of the nation’s modernization first-hand and know more about the results of the modernization of the nation’s defense,” Lee said.
“We can even take a closer look of the navy’s heroic appearance, experience the army’s professionalism and excellence, perfectionism and selfless contribution, and boost the citizens’ sense of national pride,” he gushed.
China’s state-run Global Times on Thursday stressed the importance of showing off the Communist regime’s military strength, especially in Hong Kong, which had a close call with democracy in 2019 before the flame of liberty was ruthlessly extinguished.
“This year marks the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the 28th anniversary of the PLA’s stationing in Hong Kong, and the 5th anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong,” the Global Times noted.
The “National Security Law” in question is an authoritarian abomination, denounced by free countries and human rights groups around the world. It criminalizes almost all criticism of the Chinese Communist Party and its puppet government in Hong Kong as “sedition” or “treason,” effectively wiped out political freedom on the island, and allowed the government to crush dissident groups and publications.
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