Chief Executive CY Leung has said that the high-profile live-ammunition exercise by the People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong garrison last Saturday demonstrated the army’s transparency.
The media was invited for the first time to report on the live-fire drill. Leung said on Tuesday that the public invitation was a “good thing” as it allowed the Hong Kong public to understand the PLA’s duties and preparation work for defending Hong Kong.
Leung asked the public not to over-interpret the exercise, which took place just three days after Beijing passed the revised national security law stressing Hong Kong’s responsibility.
The 45-minute drill at the Castle Peak shooting range involved a simulated attack on militants in a mountainous area. Armoured vehicles, smoke grenades, rocket launchers and helicopters were deployed.
Some analysts saw the live-fire drill as Beijing’s warning to pro-independence activists in Hong Kong. State media have been criticising “radical” pro-democracy activists for promoting Hong Kong independence and separatism. In January, CY Leung also publicly critcised an HKU student magazine for advocating “Hong Kong nationalism”.
Veteran journalist Ching Cheong said that the Chinese government might want to use the drill to show the world that Hong Kong is part of its national defence system, as well as warn separatists or pro-independence activists.
Cheong added that the Hong Kong garrison will probably abandon its low-profile policy and make its presence more known to the public over time.
Leung said on Tuesday morning that the revised national security law is not applicable to Hong Kong. But he added that legal systems and practices outside of Hong Kong are “not something that [the Hong Kong public] is able to comment or give assurances on”.
Article 14 of the Basic Law stipulates that the PLA Hong Kong garrison is responsible for the territory’s defence, but it is not allowed to interfere in Hong Kong’s local affairs. The Hong Kong government may ask the Chinese government for “assistance from the garrison in the maintenance of public order and in disaster relief”.
