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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; 28 years ago (1997-07-01) |
| Country | |
| Allegiance |  Chinese Communist Party |
| Branch | |
| Size | 10,000 to 12,000[1] |
| Part of | Southern Theater Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Chinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building 22°16′54″N114°09′51″E / 22.2817325°N 114.1641229°E /22.2817325; 114.1641229 |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Major GeneralPeng Jingtang |
| Political Commissar[3] | Major GeneralCai Yongzhong[2] |
| Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 中國人民解放軍駐香港部隊 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 中国人民解放军驻香港部队 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | China People Liberation Army stationing Hong Kong Troops | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
ThePeople's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison is a garrison of thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA), responsible for defence duties in theHong KongSpecial Administrative Region (SAR) since thehandover of Hong Kong in July 1997.
The garrison is headquartered inChinese People's Liberation Army Forces Hong Kong Building inCentral, Hong Kong. The size of the Hong Kong garrison is approximately 10,000–12,000 personnel, including members of thePeople's Armed Police,People's Liberation Army Navy,People's Liberation Army Air Force, andPeople's Liberation Army Ground Force.[4]
Prior to the handover in 1997, the territory was underBritish rule, and the defence of the territory was the responsibility of theBritish Forces Overseas Hong Kong, with auxiliary help from theRoyal Hong Kong Regiment.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) assumed sovereignty over Hong Kong on 1 July 1997 and theCentral People's Government (CPG) stationed agarrison 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.[5]
TheBasic 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 thePeople's Liberation Army Ground Force,PLA Navy, andPLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of theCentral Military Commission in Beijing and under the administrative control of the adjacentSouthern 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 theGarrison 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 theHong Kong Government, and opened the barracks onStonecutters Island andStanley 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.[6][7]
In early 2022,Chairman of the Central Military CommissionXi Jinping, appointed Major GeneralPeng Jingtang, a formerPeople's Armed Police paramilitary commander, to lead the PLA garrison in Hong Kong.[8]
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 forzhùgǎng (驻港/駐港), Chinese for "[stationed] in Hong Kong."
The Hong Kong Garrison reports to both theSouthern Theater Command andCentral Military Commission in Beijing, and informsHong Kong Government of any actions within or around Hong Kong.
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.[10] TheTsing Shanfiring range occupies approximately 80% of the 2,750 hectares of land managed by the PLA.[11][12]
A secret 20th site is a radar facility inTai Mo Shan, which was discovered in 2014, without the PLA informing the public, as required by the Garrison Law.[13] It was not publicly recognized by the Hong Kong government until 2021.[14]
The Commander lives onThe Peak atHeadquarters House, 11 Barker Road. Other property owned by the Garrison includes theUnited Services Recreation Club.
Bases within Hong Kong are former British facilities namely from theBritish Army:
| Model | Type | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Type 92 | 6 wheeledarmored personnel carrier | Equipped with 12.7mm machine guns |
| Dongfeng EQ2050 | Military light utility vehicle | Chinese copy of HMMWV |
| Jiefang CA-30 | Utility truck | |
| JH600 Duke | Motorcycle |
 | This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: Type 056 corvettes have been handed to the coast guard and have been replaced by 2 Type 056A corvettes. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2025) |
The naval presence in Hong Kong is a limited sub-station with a small flotilla of ships rotating from bases in themainland China:
Various ships of thePeople'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
|  |
| Type 074-II Yuhai class | Wuhu Shipyard ofWuhu,Anhui | Medium Landing Ship | 3 | 2017-8 | 3357, 3358, and 3359 Two 25 mmguns |  |
| 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. |  |
PLA Hong Kong Garrison has three airbases, with two of these within Hong Kong:
| Aircraft | Country of Manufacture | Type | In Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harbin Z-9 | China | Utility helicopter | 12 – atShek Kong Airfield | Upgraded variant ofAS 565 Panther andSA 360 Dauphin 2 |
| Changhe Z-8KH | China | Search and rescue helicopter | 4 – atShek Kong Airfield | Licensed version ofAérospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
(in Chinese) Structure of thePeople's Liberation Army Ground Force | |||||||
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| PLAGF Headquarters directly subordinate units |
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| Eastern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Southern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Western Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Northern Theater Command Ground Force |
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| Central Theater Command Ground Force |
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