Free tickets to visit two PLA naval ships during their stop in Hong Kong next week have been quickly snapped up, as enthusiasts welcome the second port call by Chinese warships in three months.
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Type 680 training vessel Qi Jiguang and Type 071 amphibious landing ship Yimeng Shan will be open to the public at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the October 1 National Day celebrations.
The 11,000 spots were up for grabs through the PLA Hong Kong Garrison’s WeChat account on Saturday, with three rounds of tickets released at 10am, 3pm and 8pm.
A Post reporter observed that the second batch of tickets were snapped up in 10 minutes.
The naval visit comes just three months after a much-watched port call by China’s first independently designed aircraft carrier, the Shandong, in July, which drew thousands of people to the waterfront and hilltops to welcome the vessel and three other warships to the city.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said the growiing number of the country’s naval ships provided more opportunities for them to visit the city.