Two Type 075 amphibious assault ships of PLA Navy, the Guangxi and the Hainan, sail in formation at an undisclosed sea region in 2022. Photo: Screenshot of a video released by the PLA Navy.

The Chinese Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that a Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy formation, including a Type 075 amphibious assault ship, is set to visit Hong Kong on Thursday.

It will be the first Hong Kong call by a PLA Navy amphibious assault ship, and military expert Song Zhongping said that the visit is an important opportunity of national defense and patriotic education.

With the approval of the Central Military Commission and according to an annual work plan, a formation consisting of the PLA Navy's Hainan and Changsha is scheduled to visit Hong Kong from November 21-25 and host a series of open-door events for Hong Kong and Macao compatriots, according to a statement by the Chinese Defense Ministry.

The goal of the events is to showcase the achievements of national defense and military development in the new era, and display the PLA's firm determination and strong capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty and security, the Chinese Defense Ministry said.

Stressing the significance of national defense and patriotic education highlighted by the visit, Song told the Global Times on Tuesday that Hong Kong is an international city that occasionally hosts port calls by warships from foreign countries, including US aircraft carriers in the past. He said that with the constant development of the Chinese military, the visit by advanced PLA Navy equipment will contribute to Hong Kong residents' national identity.

In July 2017, the PLA Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, among other warships, visited Hong Kong and opened to the public, the PLA's official website 81.cn reported at the time.

Song, who boarded the Liaoning at that occasion, said that many people applied to board the carrier, and the crowd waved Chinese national flags in their hands.

The two warships to visit Hong Kong this time are very representative of the PLA Navy's rapid development in recent years, according to Song.

The Hainan is the PLA Navy's first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, and the Changsha is a Type 052D guided missile destroyer, according to previous reports by China Central Television (CCTV).

This marks the first visit of a PLA Navy amphibious assault ship to Hong Kong since the Hainan was launched in September 2019 and commissioned into the PLA Navy in April 2021.

Capable of carrying a large number of helicopters on its flight deck, amphibious assault ship is a genre of large warship only second to aircraft carrier, while the Type 052D is the latest version in China's Type 052 destroyer series, Song noted.

The PLA Navy displayed Z-20J shipborne utility helicopters and Z-8C shipborne transport helicopters at the Airshow China 2024, which just wrapped up on Sunday in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province.

Military expert Zhang Junshe told the Global Times that these two types of helicopters can carry marines and conduct airborne amphibious assault missions from Type 075 amphibious assault ships and Type 071 dock landing ships.

The helicopters can fly over obstacles on the beach, and land directly behind the enemy defense lines, Zhang said.