China’s Shandong Carrier Visits Hong Kong as USS George Washington Docks in Manila

A Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy fleet led by the aircraft carrier CNS Shandong sailed into Hong Kong on 3 July for its first port call to the city, launching a five-day visit that will include ship tours and military demonstrations. The 70,000-tonne vessel—China’s first domestically built carrier—was accompanied by the missile destroyers Yan’an and Zhanjiang and the frigate Yuncheng. Authorities released 10,000 tickets for public boarding, roughly one-fifth of them for the carrier itself.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee hailed the arrival as a chance for residents to “experience first-hand the grandeur” of China’s modern navy. The stopover, which runs through 7 July, comes two days after the territory marked the 28th anniversary of its return to Chinese sovereignty and follows dual-carrier combat drills by the Shandong and its sister ship Liaoning in the western Pacific last month.

On the same day, the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered USS George Washington arrived off Manila Bay for a scheduled port visit, underscoring deepening U.S.–Philippine security ties aimed at challenging Beijing’s expansive South China Sea claims. The near-simultaneous presence of rival carriers in neighboring waters highlights the intensified maritime rivalry between the world’s two largest naval powers.