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City Beat | Hong Kong needs to clean up its self-made mess because Beijing may just let it be
- There have been no obvious signs Beijing will get deeply involved in Hong Kong’s escalating crisis, militarily or otherwise
- Such ‘let it be’ sentiment reflects the diminishing value of the city to many mainlanders – so the time for Hong Kong’s government to stand up is now
3-MIN READ3-MIN
Is the government still functioning properly amid Hong Kong’s snowballing political crisis? Hongkongers are not the only ones asking, the same question must be troubling Beijing.
But there is no obvious sign yet that Beijing will get deeply involved. Understandably, it still hopes Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her administration can clean up this unprecedented, self-made mess.
Intriguingly, the city’s leader has continued to keep an extra-low profile, cancelling her many public appearances and rarely commenting on anything.
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However, her government last week swiftly dismissed any need to call for help from the People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong, apparently aware of the ultra-sensitivity of the matter and the serious consequences of such a drastic request.
This was after the Chinese defence ministry spokesman, Wu Jiang, when grilled by the media on Hong Kong’s protest violence and chaos, replied that “Article 14 of the Garrison Law has clear stipulations”. He did not elaborate, but he was referring to the section that allows PLA troops to be deployed upon the request of the local government if a situation goes out of control.
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