Aircraft carrier Liaoning arrives in Hong Kong

A fleet of Chinese warships led by China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning arrives in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Friday morning, July 7, 2017. (Photo/chinadaily.com.cn)

A fleet of Chinese warships led by China's first aircraft carrier Liaoning arrived in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Friday morning, as part of the celebrations marking 20 years since Hong Kong returned to China.

Destroyers Jinan and Yinchuan and frigate Yantai are accompanying Liaoning, which is carrying a squadron of J-15 fighter jets and helicopters.

The fleet, which set out from the port city of Qingdao, is making a port call in Hong Kong from July 7 to 11, and will be open to the public there for the first time on July 8 and 9.

A total of 2,000 tickets have been distributed to Hong Kong residents who camped overnight outside different military barracks to get the free tickets.

The visit is part of the carrier's trans-regional training, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, on June 29 when announcing the participation of the fleet in the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

Liaoning is a refurbished aircraft carrier built from the hull of a Soviet Union ship bought from Ukraine.

As the first aircraft carrier commissioned into the PLA's Navy Surface Force, Liaoning is currently being used by the Navy as a training ship to practice with carrier usage.