The PLA Insight: Issue no 29

I. The Big Story: PLA in Hong KongThe People’s Liberation Army soldiers were spotted cleaning-up the Hong Kong’s streets last week. Their presence raised concerns in China’s autonomous region. Social media feeds showed men in green and black uniforms with Chinese flags on their shoulders, “voluntarily clearing the streets.” Although several thousands of the PLA soldiers are located in Hong Kong’s PLA Garrison, they are rarely seen outside their barracks. Hong Kong government stated that it had not requested the Garrison’s assistance. The Chinese soldiers’ efforts to clear the roadblocks were “purely a voluntary community activity initiated by themselves.” The clean-up came after one of the most intense weeks of the anti-government protests. Read more...

Can Hong Kong protect its 'freedom'?

"One country, two systems”, the brilliant formulation that allowed Britain to transfer Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China in 1997, allowed a lot of people to believe that the two systems would converge over time. That while the mainland would adopt free markets and democracy, Hong Kong would become better integrated with its motherland.Read more