Hundreds of people have flocked to the Hong Kong waterfront to catch a final glimpse of the Shandong aircraft carrier and its fleet as they conclude their five-day port call to the city, with the No 2 official saying the visit has boosted residents’ national pride.

During his speech on Monday, Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said the port call, which was part of the celebration marking the 28th anniversary of the city’s handover to China, had demonstrated the country’s care and staunch support for the city.

“[It] gives Hong Kong residents a precious opportunity to see with their own eyes the country’s first independently designed, built and equipped aircraft carrier, and to feel the strength of the country’s military power and progress of its scientific development up close, enhancing our national confidence and pride,” Chan said.

The senior official also said the visits, exchanges and seminars held during the fleet’s five-day visit to the city, provided a lesson in patriotic education for Hongkongers – particularly the youth – deepening their understanding of the country’s national defence infrastructure.

The 70,000-tonne aircraft carrier arrived in the city on Thursday, accompanied by the missile destroyers Yanan and Zhanjiang, the frigate Yuncheng, as well as a dozen advanced J-15 carrier fighters and helicopters.

The Shandong, commissioned in 2019, is China’s first independently designed, built and equipped aircraft carrier, marking the navy’s official entry into a new era at the forefront of global naval power.