Advanced Chinese warship showcased in Hong Kong

AFP | Hong Kong

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An advanced Chinese warship thought to play a key role in the country’s South China Sea and Taiwan strategies sailed into Hong Kong yesterday, part of a publicity campaign showcasing Beijing’s increasingly sophisticated military force.

The 36,000-tonne Hainan is a helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ship that was hailed as a breakthrough for China’s navy when it came into service in 2021.

It is part of the fleet that operates in the South China Sea, the site of multiple simmering territorial disputes between Beijing and its neighbours.

The hulking vessel was docked at a Hong Kong Island pier on Thursday, with multiple helicopters parked on its large, flat deck. China’s defence ministry this week said it was there to showcase the country’s “military development” and the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “firm determination and strong capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty and security”.

One expert told AFP its presence in Hong Kong was a deliberate reminder of China’s authority there, after the quashing of the city’s pro-democracy movement with a sweeping national security law in 2020.

“Sending some of the most powerful Chinese warships for public view in Hong Kong, in a way, symbolises and signals the very fact that (China’s) government is behind the Hong Kong SAR government,” Collin Koh, senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told AFP.