Building a force for peace and stability
By Wang Shanshan and Jiang Zhongda (China Daily)

The People's Liberation Army in Hong Kong has, over the past 10 years, laid the foundations for the defense of the special administrative region, its commander said recently.

"Our army in Hong Kong has much improved its fighting force. It has made progress in all ways - military, political and logistical - since being stationed as a symbol of China recovering its sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997," Wang Jitang, commander of the PLA in Hong Kong, told China Daily.

Wang commands all ground, naval and air forces, which are posted at more than 10 barracks around Hong Kong and in neighboring Shenzhen.

The regiments are equipped with armored vehicles, missile escort vessels, helicopters and a range of other weapons necessary for defense, all of which were made in China.

"The army is in good shape and it can implement tasks of defense whenever needed," the commander said.

Its plans for defense are revised every year, while soldiers and officers are lectured every week about the latest situations.

Its training focuses on the allied acts of the ground, naval and air forces, and on the use of information technology in such acts. It also carries out regular maneuvers.

On the future, Wang said: "It is a long and complicated process to build a defensive force. We will keep on progressing in order to protect Hong Kong's peace and prosperity."

The navy conducted a number of successful landing maneuvers in Hong Kong. Forces have also staged several successful missile launches.

Despite all its efforts to develop its fighting force in Hong Kong, the army has been committed to not disturbing the day-to-day lives of the local people, Zhang Rucheng, the political commissar of the PLA in Hong Kong, said.

In the past decade, it has organized some 200 live shell firings, all of which were advertised beforehand. It also informed the local government each time one of its planes took off - some 40,000 times - or a vessel set sail, about 1,000 times, he said.

(China Daily 06/26/2007 page4)