Chinese military can be deployed at Hong Kong’s request to contain protests, Beijing says
Radical protesters are challenging mainland government’s authority and principle of ‘one country, two systems’, defence spokesman says
Garrison Law gives Hong Kong option of asking for PLA’s help to maintain public order
South China Morning Post
Published: 11:44am, 24 Jul, 2019
The Chinese military has said that it can be deployed to Hong Kong to maintain social order at the request of the city’s government, adding that Sunday’s siege of the mainland government’s liaison office in the city was intolerable.
Reaction to the remarks by defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian has been mixed. Critics and a business representative said it was a red line warning, but officials from the city government and a military analyst said it did not mean plans were afoot to mobilise troops.
Wu echoed Tuesday’s state media reports by saying the vandalism of the central government liaison office in Hong Kong – after weeks of mass protests against the city’s extradition bill – was a challenge to the bottom line of the principle of “one country, two systems”.
“We are closely following the developments in Hong Kong, especially the violent attack against the central government liaison office by radicals on July 21,” Wu said at a briefing on Wednesday to introduce China’s new defence white paper.
“Some behaviour of the radical protesters is challenging the authority of the central government and the bottom line of one country, two systems. This is intolerable.”
Asked how the defence ministry would handle events in Hong Kong and independence forces, Wu said only that “Article 14 of the Garrison Law has clear stipulations”, without elaborating.
The law took effect on July 1, 1997, the date of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. Article 14 states that the Hong Kong government – in accordance with the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution – can ask the central government for help from the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) Hong Kong garrison for the maintenance of public order and disaster relief.
Should any such request by the Hong Kong government be approved, the garrison would send troops to carry out the task, then immediately return to their station.
A spokesman for the Hong Kong government said later on Wednesday that the city was fully capable of dealing with its own affairs and maintaining public order.
“There is no need to ask for assistance from the garrison,” he said ...