Officers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison troops in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Saturday conducted its eighth rotation since it assumed Hong Kong's defense responsibility on July 1, 1997.

 

A farewell ceremony was held in an army barrack in the New Territory of Hong Kong in the afternoon, and at 14:00, a number of military vehicles carrying the officers passed through the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint into neighboring Shenzhen City of Guangdong Province under the escort of the Hong Kong police.

 

The officers are from the army, navy and airforce, and most of them were assigned to Hong Kong three years ago. Their replacements arrived in Hong Kong days earlier and have taken up their respective posts.

 

The annual rotation was conducted in accordance with the HKSAR Basic Law and the HKSAR Garrison Law of the People's Republic of China.

 

The size of the forces remained unchanged after the rotation, said a spokesman for the PLA garrison troops in Hong Kong.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 24, 2006)