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People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison
中国人民解放军驻香港部队
Sleeve insignia of PLA Ground Force units of the Hong Kong Garrison
Founded	1 July 1997; 27 years ago (1997-07-01)
Country	China  Hong Kong
Allegiance	Chinese Communist Party
Branch	PLA Ground Force  PLA Navy  PLA Air Force PLA Rocket Force
Size	10,000 to 12,000
Part of	Southern Theater Command
Garrison/HQ	Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building 22°16′54″N 114°09′51″E / 22.2817325°N 114.1641229°E / 22.2817325; 114.1641229
Commanders
Commander	Major General Peng Jingtang
Political Commissar	Major General Cai Yongzhong

The People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison is a garrison of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), responsible for defence duties in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) since the handover of Hong Kong in 1997.

The garrison is headquartered in Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building in Central, Hong Kong. The size of the Hong Kong garrison is approximately 10,000–12,000 personnel, including members of the People's Armed Police, People's Liberation Army Navy, People's Liberation Army Air Force, and People's Liberation Army Ground Force.

Prior to the handover in 1997, the territory was under British rule, and the defence of the territory was the responsibility of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong, with auxiliary help from the Royal Hong Kong Regiment.

Role in Hong Kong

The People's Republic of China (PRC) assumed sovereignty over Hong Kong on 1 July 1997 and the Central People's Government (CPG) stationed a garrison of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Hong Kong to manage the defense affairs of the territory. While the garrison has been considered primarily symbolic of Beijing's governance over Hong Kong, it is nevertheless asserted to be a combat-ready force.

The Basic Law upon the territory provides that the CPG shall be responsible for the defense of Hong Kong and shall bear the expenditure for the garrison, whereas the colonial Hong Kong Government before 1997 had to pay for the military. The Garrison Law, subsequently enacted by the National People's Congress, contains specific provisions on the duties and rules of discipline of the garrison personnel, jurisdiction and other questions, to facilitate the Hong Kong Garrison in fulfilling its defence functions along legal lines. Military forces stationed in Hong Kong shall not interfere in the local affairs and the Hong Kong government shall be responsible for the maintenance of public order. The Garrison formally stationed in Hong Kong assumed defence responsibility for Hong Kong from midnight onwards on 1 July 1997.

The Hong Kong Garrison includes elements of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under the administrative control of the adjacent Southern Theater Command.

While performing its defense duties, the Hong Kong Garrison must abide by both national and Hong Kong laws, as well as the current rules and regulations of the PLA, according to the Garrison Law, a PRC law. After its entry into Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Garrison abide by the Basic Law and the Garrison Law, actively organizing military training. According to the Garrison Law, the Garrison established working contacts with the Hong Kong Government, and opened the barracks on Stonecutters Island and Stanley to the public to promote Hong Kong people's understanding of and trust in the garrison forces and their personnel. Annual open house events are held to showcase the assets and combat readiness of the garrison personnel. Garrison troop rotations are also routine.

In early 2022, Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping, appointed Major General Peng Jingtang, a former People's Armed Police paramilitary commander, to lead the PLA garrison in Hong Kong.

Insignia

Personnel in the Hong Kong Garrison wore uniforms different from their mainland counterparts until a new set of uniforms were introduced in 2007. Motor vehicles in the military are right-hand drive, like civilian vehicles in Hong Kong, and carry number plates that start with ZG, standing for zhùgǎng (驻港/駐港), Chinese for " in Hong Kong."

Command

The Hong Kong Garrison reports to both the Southern Theater Command and Central Military Commission in Beijing, and informs Hong Kong Government of any actions within or around Hong Kong.

Garrison Commanders

• Lt. General Liu Zhenwu 1997–1999 (appointed 1994)
• Lt. General Xiong Ziren 1999–2003
• Lt. General Wang Jitang 2003–2007
• Lt. General Zhang Shibo 2007–2012
• Lt. General Wang Xiaojun 2012–2014
• Lt. General Tan Benhong 2014–2019
• Maj. General Chen Daoxiang 2019–2022
• Maj. General Peng Jingtang 2022–present

Political Commissars

• Maj. General Xiong Ziren 1997–1999
• Maj. General Wang Yufa 1999–2003
• Maj. General Liu Liangkai 2003–2005
• Lt. General Zhang Rucheng 2005–2007
• Lt. General Liu Liangkai 2007–2010, second term
• Lt. General Wang Zengbo 2010–2012
• Lt. General Yue Shixin 2012–2018
• Maj. General Cai Yongzhong 2018–present

Properties

There are 19 sites occupied by the Garrison across Hong Kong. According to a Reuters investigation, many of these sites are run down and not fully utilised, which has caused some to argue that the land should be returned and used for housing. The Tsing Shan firing range occupies approximately 80% of the 2,750 hectares of land managed by the PLA.

A secret 20th site is a radar facility in Tai Mo Shan, which was discovered in 2014, without the PLA informing the public, as required by the Garrison Law. It was not publicly recognized by the Hong Kong government until 2021.

The Commander lives on The Peak at Headquarters House, 11 Barker Road. Other property owned by the Garrison includes the United Services Recreation Club.

Army

Regiments/Units

• Infantry Garrison Brigade (Air Assault) (Unit 53300)

Formerly the 1st Red Regiment of 1st Red Division, 1st Red Army. In 1949, the regiment comprised the 424th Regiment, 142nd Division, 48th Army. In 1952, the 142nd Division was assigned to 55th Army and the 424th Regiment renamed the 430th Regiment. In 1970, the 144th Division was renamed as the 163rd Division and 430th Regiment renamed as 487th Regiment.

• PLA Hong Kong Garrison Honour Guard Battalion
• 3 infantry battalions (Air Assault/Heliborne)
• 1 mechanized infantry battalion
• 1 artillery battery
• 1 engineer battalion
• 1 reconnaissance/special ops company (named 5-min Response Unit, some of them later transferred to the Macau Garrison to form the a new Quick Reaction Platoon there)
• 1 intelligence gathering battalion
• 1 Armour Convoy
• 1 Logistics Base, Shenzhen. (Unit 53310)
• 1 Motor Transport Company, Shao Fei

Bases

Bases within Hong Kong are former British facilities namely from the British Army:

• Central Barracks – PLA Ground Force – formerly HMS Tamar
• Ching Yi To Barracks – formerly part of Victoria Barracks and renamed from Queen's Lines Barracks
• Kowloon East Barracks – formerly Osborn Barracks
• Stanley Barracks – PLA Ground Force – home of 5-min Response Unit
  • Chek Chue Barracks
• Western Barracks – 88 Bonham Road– formerly Bonham Tower Barracks
• Stonecutter Barracks – PLA Navy
• Shek Kong Airfield, Shek Kong Barracks – PLA Air Force.
  • Northern Compound – formerly Borneo Lines
  • Southern Compound – formerly Malaya Lines
• San Tin Barracks – formerly Cassino Lines
• Tam Mei Barracks – Ngau Tam Mei in Yuen Long
• Gallipoli Lines – Sha Tau Kok Road in Fanling, formerly San Wai Camp
  • San Wai/Tai Ling Range
• Burma Lines - also known as Queen's Hill Camp
• Gun Club Hill Barracks Kowloon – home to PLA Garrison Hospital

Equipment

Navy

The naval presence in Hong Kong is a limited sub-station with a small flotilla of ships rotating from bases in the mainland China:

Squadrons

• Squadron 38081 – a naval squadron of the South Sea Fleet

Bases

• Stonecutter's Island (Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base) – formerly HMS Tamar
• Wan Chai navy base; near central barracks
• Tai O Barracks, Shek Tsai Po – formerly Naval Coastal Observation Station, Tai O

Fleet

Various ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy visit the base, but only a few ships remain on semi-permanent basis.

Class or name	Builder	Type	Quantity	Year Entered Service	Details	Photos
Type 056 Jiangdao class	Huangpu Shipyard, Guangzhou, Guangdong	Corvette	2	2013	596 惠州 / Huizhou 597 钦州 / Qinzhou 1 × AK-176 76 mm. gun 2 × 30 mm. cannon 2× 2-cell YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, amidships 1 × 8-cell FL-3000N SAM launcher 2 × triple 324 mm. torpedo tubes
Type 074-II Yuhai class	Wuhu Shipyard of Wuhu, Anhui	Medium Landing Ship	3	2017-8	3357, 3358, and 3359 Two 25 mm guns
Type 721	Guangxi Guiyang shipyard	Light transport boat	2	1990s	42 meters long, 8.8 meters wide and 2.14 meters tall. It has a full displacement of 140 tons, a speed of 33 knots and a maximum range of 300 nautical miles. It can carry 70 people and 2 tons of materials.

Air Force

Units

• 1 helicopter squadron (PLAAF # 39968) at local Shek Kong Airbase
• 1 fighter squadron at Guangdong Airbase

Bases

PLA Hong Kong Garrison has three airbases, with two of these within Hong Kong:

• Shek Kong Airfield, Hong Kong
• Shadi Air Base, west of Guangzhou, Guangdong
• Joint Movement Unit, Chek Lap Kok – Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong

Aircraft Inventory

See also

• Macao Garrison
• British Forces Overseas Hong Kong

References

1. "Exclusive: China has doubled troop levels in Hong Kong, envoys estimate". Reuters. 30 September 2019.
2. "Chinese army promotes new political commissar at Hong Kong garrison". South China Morning Post. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
3. "Information Note: The Hong Kong Garrison of the Chinese People's Liberation Army" (PDF). Legislative Council Secretariat, Hong Kong. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2018. para. 2.6.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
4. "China quietly doubles troop levels in Hong Kong, envoys say". Reuters. 30 September 2019.
5. Gan, Nectar; Cheung, Tony (17 June 2017). "Hong Kong's PLA garrison no longer just symbolic, top brass say". South China Morning Post.
6. Adam Taylor. (29 August 2019). "China's garrison in Hong Kong closely watches as protests churn on". Washington Post website Retrieved 10 January 2022.
7. South China Morning Post Staff. (26 August 2021). "Hong Kong PLA garrison completes 24th annual troop rotation". Global Herald website Retrieved 10 January 2022.
8. Reuters staff. (10 January 2022). "China names former paramilitary chief as HK garrison commander". Al Jazeera website Retrieved 9 January 2022.
9. "New Commander of PLA Garrison in HK Appointed".
10. "Hong Kong's underused military land a potential goldmine: but a minefield for government". Reuters. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
11. Chen, Frank (3 July 2018). "PLA urged to release land to combat HK's housing shortage". Asia Times. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
12. "PLA land offers range of sites for housing". South China Morning Post. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
13. "LCQ9: Military sites". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
14. "保安局首認大帽山解放軍雷達站屬防務用途 用於設置通訊裝置 (14:48) - 20210109 - 港聞". 明報新聞網 - 即時新聞 instant news (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
15. 驻香港部队幼儿园. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.

External links

• Hong Kong Garrison on Weibo (in Chinese) (in Chinese)

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v t e Structure of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force
PLAGF Headquarters directly subordinate units	Xinjiang Military District 4th Combined Arms Division 6th Combined Arms Division 8th Combined Arms Division 11th Combined Arms Division 84th Artillery Brigade 84th Air Defense Brigade 84th Special Operations Brigade 84th Army Aviation Brigade Tibet Military District 52nd Combined Arms Brigade 53rd Combined Arms Brigade 54th Combined Arms Brigade 85th Artillery Brigade 85th Special Operations Brigade 85th Army Aviation Brigade 85th Artillery Brigade 85th Air-Defense Brigade 85th Engineering and Chemical Brigade 7th Electronic Countermeasures Brigade 5th Motorized Transport Brigade Beijing Garrison 1st Guards Division 3rd Guards Division
Eastern Theater Command Ground Force	71st Group Army 2nd Combined Arms Brigade 35th Combined Arms Brigade 160th Combined Arms Brigade 178th Combined Arms Brigade 179th Combined Arms Brigade 235th Combined Arms Brigade 71st Artillery Brigade 71st Air Defense Brigade 71st Army Aviation Brigade 71st Special Operations Brigade 71st Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 71st Service Support Brigade 72nd Group Army 5th Combined Arms Brigade 10th Combined Arms Brigade 34th Combined Arms Brigade 85th Combined Arms Brigade 90th Combined Arms Brigade 124th Combined Arms Brigade 72nd Artillery Brigade 72nd Air Defense Brigade 72nd Army Aviation Brigade 72nd Special Operations Brigade 72nd Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 72nd Service Support Brigade 73rd Group Army 3rd Combined Arms Brigade 14th Combined Arms Brigade 86th Combined Arms Brigade 91st Combined Arms Brigade 92nd Combined Arms Brigade 145th Combined Arms Brigade 73rd Artillery Brigade 73rd Air Defense Brigade 73rd Army Aviation Brigade 73rd Special Operations Brigade 73rd Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 73rd Service Support Brigade
Southern Theater Command Ground Force	74th Group Army 1st Combined Arms Brigade 16th Combined Arms Brigade 125th Combined Arms Brigade 132nd Combined Arms Brigade 154th Combined Arms Brigade 163rd Combined Arms Brigade 74th Artillery Brigade 74th Air Defense Brigade 74th Army Aviation Brigade 74th Special Operations Brigade 74th Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 74th Service Support Brigade 75th Group Army 31st Combined Arms Brigade 32nd Combined Arms Brigade 37th Combined Arms Brigade 42nd Combined Arms Brigade 122nd Combined Arms Brigade 123rd Combined Arms Brigade 121st Air Assault Brigade 75th Artillery Brigade 75th Air Defense Brigade 75th Special Operations Brigade 75th Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 75th Service Support Brigade Hong Kong Combined Arms Brigade Macau Infantry Battalion
Western Theater Command Ground Force	76th Group Army 12th Combined Arms Brigade 17th Combined Arms Brigade 56th Combined Arms Brigade 62nd Combined Arms Brigade 149th Combined Arms Brigade 182nd Combined Arms Brigade 76th Artillery Brigade 76th Air Defense Brigade 76th Army Aviation Brigade 76th Special Operations Brigade 76th Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 76th Service Support Brigade 77th Group Army 39th Combined Arms Brigade 40th Combined Arms Brigade 55th Combined Arms Brigade 139th Combined Arms Brigade 150th Combined Arms Brigade 181st Combined Arms Brigade 77th Artillery Brigade 77th Air Defense Brigade 77th Army Aviation Brigade 77th Special Operations Brigade 77th Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 77th Service Support Brigade
Northern Theater Command Ground Force	78th Group Army 8th Combined Arms Brigade 48th Combined Arms Brigade 68th Combined Arms Brigade 115th Combined Arms Brigade 202nd Combined Arms Brigade 204rd Combined Arms Brigade 78th Artillery Brigade 78th Air Defense Brigade 78th Army Aviation Brigade 78th Special Operations Brigade 78th Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 78th Service Support Brigade 79th Group Army 46th Combined Arms Brigade 116th Combined Arms Brigade 119th Combined Arms Brigade 190th Combined Arms Brigade 191st Combined Arms Brigade 200th Combined Arms Brigade 79th Artillery Brigade 79th Air Defense Brigade 79th Army Aviation Brigade 79th Special Operations Brigade 79th Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 79th Service Support Brigade 80th Group Army 47th Combined Arms Brigade 69th Combined Arms Brigade 118th Combined Arms Brigade 138th Combined Arms Brigade 199th Combined Arms Brigade 203rd Combined Arms Brigade 80th Artillery Brigade 80th Air Defense Brigade 80th Army Aviation Brigade 80th Special Operations Brigade 80th Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 80th Service Support Brigade
Central Theater Command Ground Force	81st Group Army 7th Combined Arms Brigade 70th Combined Arms Brigade 162nd Combined Arms Brigade 189th Combined Arms Brigade 194th Combined Arms Brigade 195th Combined Arms Brigade 81st Artillery Brigade 81st Air Defense Brigade 81st Army Aviation Brigade 81st Special Operations Brigade 81st Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 81st Service Support Brigade 82nd Group Army 6th Combined Arms Brigade 80th Combined Arms Brigade 112th Combined Arms Brigade 127th Combined Arms Brigade 151st Combined Arms Brigade 188th Combined Arms Brigade 196th Combined Arms Brigade 82nd Artillery Brigade 82nd Air Defense Brigade 82nd Army Aviation Brigade 82nd Special Operations Brigade 82nd Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 82nd Service Support Brigade 83rd Group Army 11th Combined Arms Brigade 58th Combined Arms Brigade 60th Combined Arms Brigade 113th Combined Arms Brigade 131st Combined Arms Brigade 193rd Combined Arms Brigade 83rd Artillery Brigade 83rd Air Defense Brigade 161st Air Assault Brigade 83rd Special Operations Brigade 83rd Engineer-NBC Defense Brigade 83rd Service Support Brigade

• People's Liberation Army Ground Force
• People's Liberation Army Hong Kong garrison
• Military of Hong Kong
• Southern Theater Command
• Guangzhou Military Region
• 1997 establishments in Hong Kong