Beijing sends former Xinjiang paramilitary chief to take command of Hong Kong garrison
- Major General Peng Jingtang met Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Monday and pledged to ‘safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests’
- Observer says the appointment reflects Beijing’s attempt to stop anti-government sentiment becoming social unrest or terrorism
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor met Peng on Monday at Government House. She said her administration would work with the garrison to safeguard stability and prosperity in the city, according to a government statement.
The new commander said he would work to “resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests and firmly safeguard” the stability of Hong Kong, Xinhua said.
Official reports did not reveal who the garrison’s new political commissar would be or what became of Peng’s predecessor, Major General Chen Daoxiang, who came to the city in 2019.
The appointment of a senior PAP officer, the first to land the Hong Kong job, came months before the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th National Congress, a five-yearly conclave expected to take place in autumn, when Xi is set to start his third term as the party’s leader.