Chinese soldiers helping in Macau after Typhoon Hato offers lessons for Hong Kong

While Macau successfully introduced its national security legislation in 2009, Hong Kong is still mired in endless debate over how and when to do it, despite Beijing’s constant reminders of the city’s constitutional obligation to safeguard national security under Article 23 of the Basic Law.

And now, a historic new development has sparked very mixed feelings here: the deployment of the People’s Liberation Army garrison in Macau to help with disaster relief, for the first time in 18 years since the former Portuguese enclave’s return to Chinese sovereignty.

On the request of the Macau government and with the approval of the Central Military Commission, PLA soldiers were sent into the streets to help with recovery efforts in the wake of Typhoon Hato. The worst storm to hit the casino hub in more than half a century left 10 people dead, some 244 injured, and tens of thousands without water or electricity.