Hong Kong disciplined services to ditch British marching in favour of Chinese ‘goose-step’ at National Security Education Day events

Five Hong Kong disciplined services, including police and customs officers, will perform Chinese-style marching for members of the public for the first time on National Security Education Day next month, the Post has learned.

The public performance comes just two months after the People’s Liberation Army trained police officers at the Hong Kong Police College’s parade ground in Wong Chuk Hang in the Chinese military’s “goose-stepping” style of ceremonial marching. Other selected disciplined services officers also joined.

April 15 this year marks the sixth National Security Education Day to promote public awareness of national security. The Hong Kong government marked the day last year with a series of online activities, such as broadcasting video-recorded speeches by central government officials, including Luo Huining, director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city.

Multiple government sources told the Post police, fire services, customs, correctional services and the Immigration Department would hold an open day at their own college or training institute to introduce their duties, as well as their work in safeguarding national security since the new law was imposed last year.

“Performing British foot drills when promoting the importance of national security does not seem right. After all, we have been handed over for nearly 24 years,” one top officer said, referring to the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

“The public performance on National Security Education Day this year is a good start to show the unity of the disciplinary forces, as some already plan to infuse the Chinese style into routine training.”

While many were still finalising the performance and open day details, sources said the Guard of Honour of the Correctional Services Department would goose-step during the flag-raising ceremony at its staff training institute in Stanley.

A 30-member Guard of Honour of the Customs and Excise Department would also perform at its college in Tuen Mun, while around 28 police officers, who attended the PLA foot drill training last month, were expected to show off their new skills at their college.

The various open days, for which members of the public will need a ticket to attend, are expected to include tactical training demonstrations.

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In late February, about 10 soldiers from the PLA’s Hong Kong Garrison Honour Guard Battalion provided two weeks of “very tough” training, in which instructors used rulers to measure the correct angle of limbs, to 80 selected officers from the five disciplined services. At the end, the officers performed in front of the PLA instructors and disciplined services chiefs.

At the time, Commissioner of Police Chris Tang Ping-keung said he had no plans to change the traditional British approach, but the force would review this going forward. The fire services chief adopted a similar attitude.

Customs and correctional services authorities said they planned to infuse the Chinese style into routine training, and newly recruited prison staff have performed Chinese-style marching at passing-out parades. The Immigration Department has adopted “goose-stepping” in passing-out parades since 1999, and previously performed for members of the public.

The Chinese military is one of several known for its ceremonial “goose step”, in which troops keep their legs rigidly straight when lifting them off the ground, while their arms swing at a 90-degree angle in front of their chests.

In May 2019, some of Hong Kong’s uniformed cadet groups switched from their traditional British drills to Chinese military marches at a flag-raising ceremony to mark the centenary of the May Fourth Movement.