Chinese military personnel berthed a ship on the Central waterfront Monday, reportedly for the first time since the dock was handed over to Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) last year.
Several passersby witnessed the guided-missile warship, the Huizhou, slowly circling the harbor and billowing black smoke before docking, Apple Daily reported.
A banner reading “PLA Hong Kong Garrison Ship Huizhou” in English and simplified Chinese was hung on a stairway connecting the boat to the shore, photos showed, as armed soldiers patrolled the deck. Around the dock, barbed wire fences had been set up with signs warning “Military closed area, no trespassing.”
The Hong Kong government handed over the 150-meter stretch of Central pier, where a park was supposed to be developed, to the PLA in June 2020.
A year before the transfer, and shortly after anti-extradition demonstrations kicked off, hundreds of Hongkongers gathered outside the fenced-off pier to protest the move, according to the Hong Kong Free Press.
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During the handover ceremony, the commander of the PLA base promised to open the dock when defense operations allow. But currently, the public is still barred from entering the area and anyone found guilty of trespassing could face a fine and a maximum sentence of six months in jail.
