PLA forces should be sent to Hong Kong only in war or if Legco approves role in maintaining public order or disaster relief, according to declassified files in London
- Hong Kong government in 1989 suggested revising Article 14 of Basic Law so that “military forces may be sent by the Central People’s Government to [city] only in time of war”.
- The records, meant to be sealed until January 2049, were declassified two weeks ago following freedom of information request from the Post
The British government urged Beijing in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown to send the People’s Liberation Army to Hong Kong “only in time of war” after the city returned to Chinese rule in 1997, according to newly declassified files in London.
Under a British proposal, the post-handover government would have had to seek the Legislative Council’s approval before asking Beijing for the help of the PLA’s Hong Kong garrison for the maintenance of public order and disaster relief.
It was among a number of suggested amendments to the second draft of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution. The British government believed it would help restore the confidence of Hongkongers following the June 4 crackdown, in which the PLA was sent into Beijing to suppress pro-democracy protests.
An “overall critique” of the Basic Law draft, released in February 1989, said there was great concern about the stationing of PLA troops in Hong Kong. The document, which covered proposals for amending a number of draft clauses, was sent from the Hong Kong government to Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office on October 26, 1989.
It suggested revising Article 14, which empowered Beijing to station troops in the city after 1997, in such a way that “military forces may be sent by the Central People’s Government to [Hong Kong] only in time of war”.