Teenage students enjoy guided tour of aircraft carrier Shandong in Hong Kong

China

Teenage students enjoy guided tour of aircraft carrier Shandong in Hong Kong

2025-07-04 22:27 Last Updated At：23:07

China's aircraft carrier Shandong, currently on a visit to Hong Kong, invited a group of teenage students aboard for a guided tour and an exchange event on Friday.

Named after Shandong Province, the aircraft carrier is China's second aircraft carrier following the Liaoning, and the country's first domestically built aircraft carrier.

Many students said the tour filled them with excitement and pride.

"I'm very proud, because I saw its gigantic size when I stepped on the deck, and the weapons on display are highly advanced," a student said.

"I feel very proud and honored because this is an aircraft carrier independently built by our country," said another student.

"Our country has very powerful military equipment, from which I can feel the strength of our country," said another student.

The Shandong and its three escort ships arrived in Hong Kong for a five-day visit on Thursday.

"For this visit, our fleet has planned a series of open tour events and cultural exchange activities, mainly to show our compatriots in Hong Kong our country's achievements in national defense and military development, particularly the navy's development, to reinforce their sense of identity and sense of pride as members of the Chinese nation," said Colonel Lu Lun on the aircraft carrier.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, vessels of the People's Liberation Army 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.

The Shandong's escort ships are the Type 055 10,000 ton-class guided-missile destroyer Yan'an, the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Zhanjiang and Type 054A guided-missile frigate Yuncheng. All three ships are fully domestically developed by China.

China ready to work for steady, sound ties with Canada: FM

China is willing to strengthen communication, enhance trust, eliminate interference, and deepen cooperation with Canada to bring bilateral relations forward on a steady and sound track in solid strides under the new circumstances, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Beijing on the day.

Referring to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China, the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years, Wang said the trip marks a milestone in bilateral ties and signals a turning point in the relationship.

The leaders of the two countries will hold meetings and talks, which are expected to open up new prospects for bilateral relations, said Wang.

The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes, and the impact of China-Canada relations transcends the bilateral scope, Wang noted.

Wang said that China and Canada have different social systems, stemming from different historical and cultural heritage, and based on the choices of their respective people.

He urged both sides to view each other in a rational and amicable manner with an inclusive mindset, handle issues on the basis of mutual respect, focus on the agenda of cooperation, and send positive messages so as to foster optimism, inject greater confidence into the development of bilateral relations, and jointly build a new type of strategic partnership between China and Canada.

Anand said the new Canadian government attaches great importance to relations with China. She also added that Prime Minister Carney looks forward to engaging in in-depth exchanges with Chinese leaders during the visit to set the course for the development of bilateral relations, resume dialogue in various fields, pursue more mutually beneficial outcomes, enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, and further advance the strategic partnership between the two countries.