A navy task group of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) left Hong Kong on Wednesday morning.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government held a grand farewell ceremony at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base, with over 1,000 officials and citizens from various circles saying good-bye to the task group.

The task group docked in Hong Kong last Friday for a six-day stop-over as part of celebrations marking the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Navy.

The task group comprises eight vessels including two guided missile destroyers, four guided missile frigates and two submarines.

Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong SAR government Donald Tsang presided over the farewell ceremony. Gao Siren, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's
Government in the SAR; Yang Wenchang, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the SAR; Maj. Gen. Wang Jitang, commander of the PLA HK Garrison; Maj. Gen. Liu Liangkai,

political commissar of the PLA HK Garrison also attended the ceremony.

Over the past six days, a series of programs were held here to promote local residents' understanding of the PLA Navy. Over 20,000 local people visited the warships of the task group.

This was the biggest scale PLA Navy visit in Hong Kong since Hong Kong returned to the motherland. In November 2001, a navy task group composing of guided missile destroyer Shenzhen and multi-purpose replenishment ship Fengcang made a three-day port call to Hong Kong.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2004)