HONG KONG (NYTIMES) – Hundreds of people in Hong Kong lined up on Saturday (July 8) to visit China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which is making a five-day port call here to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule..
HONG KONG (NYTIMES) – Hundreds of people in Hong Kong lined up on Saturday (July 8) to visit China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which is making a five-day port call here to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule.
The ship’s visit is part of efforts to raise the profile of China’s military and inspire patriotism in the semiautonomous city, analysts and officials said. Hong Kong has been the site of large street protests in recent years as calls for increased local autonomy and even independence grow.
Young people are increasingly likely to call themselves “Hong Kongers” instead of “Chinese, ” which local officials say they want to change.
The carrier’s visit is intended to send several messages, said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a professor of government and international studies at Hong Kong Baptist University.
“The first, to Hong Kong society, is to remember that you are Chinese and Hong Kong is part of China, ” he said. “The second message is to be proud of being Chinese, because now we are a powerful force to be reckoned with, on par with the United States.”
Last week, President Xi Jinping of China reviewed troops at a military base here and delivered a tough speech warning against crossing the “red line” of challenging central government authority or Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong.
The Liaoning and three accompanying ships, the frigate Yantai and the destroyers Jinan and Yinchuan, sailed through the Taiwan Strait en route to Hong Kong this past week. Self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, dispatched aircraft and ships to monitor the group’s passage, its Ministry of National Defence said.
The port call also comes as China hopes to exert authority over its claims in the South China Sea. In May, China complained after a United States Navy ship sailed within 12 miles of an artificially built island that China claims in the South China Sea.
