Shandong carrier-led naval fleet arrives in Hong Kong

A fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy led by the aircraft carrier Shandong arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Thursday morning.

The fleet, which also includes the Yan'an and Zhanjiang missile destroyers, and the Yuncheng missile frigate, started its five-day visit to Hong Kong on Thursday.

The naval fleet sailed through the East Lamma Channel, passing by the southern island of Ap Lei Chau. Many local residents were there welcoming and cheering for the fleet's entering to Hong Kong.

The Flagship Shandong will proceed to anchor in the waters west of the Hong Kong Island, while the Zhanjiang missile destroyer and the Yuncheng missile frigate will dock at Hong Kong's Stonecutters Island.

The three vessels will open to public visits on the weekend. The tickets for the weekend tour were booked out within one minute after the online reservation system opened on Monday, and the tickets for the Zhanjiang and the Yuncheng were also booked out in minutes.

A total of 10,000 tickets were issued for visitors -- 2,000 for the Shandong and 8,000 for the Zhanjiang and the Yuncheng.

The Shandong is China's first domestically designed, built and equipped conventionally powered aircraft carrier, with a length of over 300 meters and a full-load displacement of over 60,000 tonnes. Commissioned into the PLA Navy on Dec. 17, 2019 in Sanya, southern China's island province of Hainan, its induction marked China's entry into the "dual aircraft carrier" era.

This visit to Hong Kong marks its first time to open to the public since its commissioning. This event also coincides with the occasion of the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, vessels of the PLA Navy have paid eight visits to the city in various forms. The first visit occurred in 2002, while the two most recent took place in 2024.

This is the second visit of an aircraft carrier fleet to Hong Kong, with the first taking place in July 2017 led by the Liaoning aircraft carrier.

A series of cultural events will be presented aboard when the fleet opens to the public, aiming to offer Hong Kong compatriots a more direct and in-depth understanding of China's advancements in national defense and military development in the new era.

Shandong carrier-led naval fleet arrives in Hong Kong

U.S. military forces continue to enforce "U.S. sanctions and fully implement the blockade against ships entering or departing Iranian ports", U.S. Central Command said on social media Saturday.

In a post on X, the U.S. Central Command said that 37 vessels have been redirected since the start of the blockade, noting a merchant vessel named Sevan, intercepted in the Arabian Sea earlier Saturday by the U.S. forces, is currently "complying with U.S. military direction to turn back to Iran under escort".

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 12 that the U.S. Navy would begin blocking ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz. His decision came after the first round of U.S.-Iranian talks on April 11 and 12 in Islamabad, Pakistan, failed to produce a peace deal.

In response to Trump's announcement, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that "any threat against the security of the Strait of Hormuz will have large-scale consequences for global trade".

On Saturday, Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, reiterated its pledge to react if the United States continues its "blockade, banditry and piracy" in the West Asia region. Trump announced earlier Saturday that he has canceled the trip of U.S. representatives going to Islamabad this weekend for talks with the Iranian side.

US military says blockade against Iran to be continuously "fully implemented"