Chinese troops raise stakes by cleaning up Hong Kong’s streets
CHINA’S People’s Liberation Army troops appeared on the streets of Hong Kong yesterday as part of a clean-up mission that risked a backlash from pro-democracy protesters who have brought the city to a standstill in recent months.
The appearance of the soldiers outside their barracks – even dressed in shorts and T-shirts – to help clear away barricades and debris from another night of protests could be seen as an incremental raising of the political stakes from Beijing.
Demosistō, a pro-democracy organisation, said the clean-up could set a “grave precedent” if the city’s government invited the military to deal with internal problems. Hong Kong’s city government clarified that it did not request assistance from PLA forces, which have remained in their barracks during five months of protests, issuing a statement describing the deployment as a “voluntary community activity” by the military. Foreign envoys and security analysts estimated up to 12,000 troops were now based across Hong Kong – more than double the usual garrison number following an additional deployment last August.
Chinese troops have appeared on streets only once since the 1997 handover to help clear up after a typhoon in 2018. It was not clear how many were involved yesterday, but by late afternoon, the soldiers had left the streets outside Baptist University beside their barracks in Kowloon Tong.
The garrison in Hong Kong said that when some residents began cleaning, some troops “helped clear the road in front of the garrison gate”. China has warned that any attempt at independence for Hong Kong will be crushed.