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The PLA Daily, official newspaper of the Chinese army, on Sunday released video footage of soldiers from its Hong Kong garrison taking sniper training at an unidentified firing range in the city. Photo: Weibo

National security law: video of Hong Kong PLA garrison troops doing live-fire training could be ‘warning to separatists’: analyst

  • The footage, about two minutes long, was released on Weibo by the army’s official newspaper and said to have been taken at a location inside the city
  • Timing of video’s release ‘cannot be uncalculated’, one analyst says, though another suggests army may simply be ‘showing off’ skills, weaponry
Video of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) sharpshooters undergoing intensive live-fire drills in Hong Kong has been circulated on social media in a move some consider a warning to “separatists” ahead of the looming endorsement of Beijing’s new national security law for the city.

The PLA Daily, which serves as the voice of the Chinese army, posted footage on its Weibo account of soldiers from Hong Kong’s army garrison taking sniper training at an unidentified local firing range.

Posted on Sunday, the two-minute clip showed soldiers hitting targets, including distant or moving ones, with high accuracy. The training, which reportedly took the form of a shooting contest, also showed soldiers crawling with their rifles and shooting while lying on a swinging board.

The newspaper’s online report did not mention when or where the training took place or for how long, saying only that it was held “recently” at a Hong Kong location.

A senior officer in the video said the drills were designed to get shooters prepared for “actual combat”.

The release of the video comes as Beijing is set to impose a national security law on Hong Kong, in the run-up to Wednesday’s 23rd anniversary of the handover.

Explainer: How will China introduce the national security law for Hong Kong and who will be consulted?

Critics have argued the new law, designed to punish acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces to endanger national security, would undermine the freedoms and civil rights guaranteed by the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law.

Macau-based military observer Antony Wong Dong said: “The timing of the release of the video cannot be uncalculated. It is a clear warning to separatists both in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

“It may also signal a change in the tactics of the PLA. Hong Kong is a densely populated place. The use of a task force or snipers could be more effective than deploying a whole battalion, especially in a targeted elimination or decapitation strike.”

Footage of soldiers from Hong Kong’s PLA garrison taking part in live-fire drills was published on an official PLA Daily account on Sunday. Photo: Weibo

Wong said while he believed it very unlikely the army would be deployed in Hong Kong, the PLA still might think it necessary to prepare for the worst, noting recent city government warnings about a rise in local terrorism.

The city’s security minister, John Lee Ka-chiu, told the legislature earlier this month that at least seven local radical groups suspected of being linked to explosives and firearms offences could be prosecuted under anti-terrorism laws.

Police said there were 18 cases related to explosives and firearms in the past year, with 76 people arrested.

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Beijing says PLA garrison is major stabilising force in Hong Kong amid ongoing extradition law unrest

Beijing says PLA garrison is major stabilising force in Hong Kong amid ongoing extradition law unrest

In March, police raided 22 locations and made 17 arrests, seizing about 2.6 tonnes of explosives said to be connected to three bomb plots at public facilities, including the Lo Wu railway station and Shenzhen Bay control point.

But China watcher Hui Ching, research director of policy think tank the Hong Kong Zhi Ming Institute, warned against “over interpretation” of the video the army has circulated.

“The message in the video could be that the PLA wants to show off its ability to train elite snipers and make quality sniper rifles. China has increased its spending on upgrading its army over the past decade,” he said.

“The training of snipers for city battle is also needed in mega cities like Hong Kong. While the PLA’s Hong Kong garrison does not take care of Hong Kong’s day to day law and order, they have to be prepared to take action all the time.”

The Post has contacted the PLA Hong Kong garrison for comment.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: PLA training video seen as ‘warning to separatists’
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