IF there was ever any serious doubt that China would want to station troops in Central, the remarks by Deputy Chief of General Staff Xu Huizi yesterday will have dispelled it once and for all. The People's Liberation Army will be stationed in both the urban and the rural areas; and the garrison headquarters will be at Tamar as a demonstration of sovereignty. The argument boils down to one basic rule of thumb: if the British did it, so can we.
China's desire and right to demonstrate its sovereignty after 1997 are not in question. But the timing of Mr Xu's statement - at the inaugural meeting of the Preliminary Working Committee (PWC) for the Special Administrative Region Preparatory Committee - and the blunt manner of its delivery will do nothing to allay local nervousness. As PWC member Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai has pointed out, Hongkong people are not used to seeing soldiers parading through Central in uniform and are rarely conscious of the British military presence in the urban area. Mr Xu showed little concern over Hongkong's sensitivity on this issue. His revelations sent entirely the wrong signal to the territory at a time of such uncertainty.
Nevertheless, there were some hints that China is prepared to treat Hongkong with a little more respect than other garrison towns. If even half of Mr Xu's claims for the high standards to be demanded of troops stationed here are genuine, then Hongkong has much to be relieved about. How much English and Cantonese are realistically to be expected of the lower ranks is open to question. But it is encouraging to learn that preparations are already underway for special training and that soldiers will be required to study and observe the laws of Hongkong.
It may also be significant that Mr Xu appeared unaware of earlier reports that 10,000 troops would be stationed here after the handover, although he gave no indication of what he felt would be a sensible figure. However, if China is sufficiently far advanced in its planning to have begun preparations for training, it is likely that it has a fairly clear idea of the size of its future garrison and land needs.
Certainly there are now hints that the discussion in the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group over military lands is at last edging towards a solution. The sight of uniformed troops in the urban area will not be welcome. However if it is understood that China has the right to demonstrate sovereignty over Hongkong after 1997, and the uncertainty over the size and location of the garrison can be dispelled, Hongkong people could learn to live with the Chinese military as they have lived with the British for the past 150 years.
