China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning will undergo two weeks of training before making a port call in Hong Kong.

Taiwan is closely watching the movement of the aircraft carrier over whether it will pass through the Taiwan Strait before stopping in Hong Kong marking the 20th anniversary of the handover.

Military experts expected the flotilla would conduct operational training in waters around the South China Sea, before passing to Taiwan and Hong Kong.

“Over the two weeks, it will likely head down to the South China Sea for drills,” Collin Koh, a military expert from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.

“The ship visit and its voyage is to showcase Beijing’s resolve to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty, with both external and domestic audiences in mind.”