Naval fleet led by Shandong aircraft carrier to visit Hong Kong

Approved by the Central Military Commission, a naval fleet led by the aircraft carrier Shandong will visit Hong Kong from July 3 to 7, an official statement said on Saturday.

The fleet, which also includes the Yan'an and Zhanjiang missile destroyers, as well as the Yuncheng missile frigate, will host a series of open tours and cultural exchange activities.

These events aim to offer compatriots in Hong Kong a more direct and in-depth understanding of China's advancements in national defense and military development in the new era, the statement said.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, vessels of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy have visited the city eight times in various forms. The first visit occurred in 2001, while the two most recent took place in 2024.

In 2017, a flotilla including China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning visited Hong Kong to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to motherland.

During the four-day visit, aircraft carrier Liaoning, as well as its support vessels destroyers Ji'nan and Yinchuan, and frigate Yantai, opened to the public for two days.

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 20 pips to 7.0108 against the U.S. dollar Monday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.

In China's spot foreign exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.

The central parity rate of the yuan against the U.S. dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day.