Rezoning of Hong Kong Central pier for Peoples Liberation Army’s training and berthing

(Credits: Wikimedia Commons)

For the first time after proposing to rezone a pier at the new Central waterfront into a military site, the government has specified the circumstances in which the People's Liberation Army will occupy the 0.3-hectare military pier, which is nearing completion along 150m of the waterfront.

Deputy secretary for development Thomas Chan Chung-ching said that the PLA's Hong Kong garrison would use the area only when conducting military training, berthing military vessels, running ceremonial activities and carrying out pier maintenance. "Except when there are emergencies or special circumstances, the pier will be open to the public," he said. Secretary for Development Paul Chan told lawmakers that the army had pledged not to add extra structures to the pier to the existing four one-storey structures, which house public utilities, and electronic gates that will be activated to fence off the pier when the military is using it. The army has also pledged to provide road behind the pier connecting the east and west parts of the promenade.

"It was a solemn pledge of the army. I hope the public will no longer bear misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility towards the [rezoning]”, Paul Chan said, criticizing the opponents of the rezoning for ignoring the need for military defence and the fact that the city had returned to Chinese sovereignty.

The government’s proposal for rezoning the area from an open space into a military site prompted harbour activists to fear reduced accessibility of the waterfront and attracted over 10,000 public submissions to the Town Planning Board on the issue. The latest clarification does not seem to have allayed the concerns.

Kenneth Chan Ka-lok, of the Civic Party, said rezoning meant any decision to open the site would rest solely with the army. "It's not about trust … It's about urban planning." He moved a motion opposing the rezoning, but failed to gain majority support.

James Tien Pei-chun, of the Liberal Party asked for an estimate on how many days the pier would be open to the public, but Thomas Chan declined to do so on behalf of the army. The New People's Party's Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a former security chief, said she was responsible for the talks with the army. "Hongkongers lack military knowledge and a sense of crisis … It would be ridiculous if the army had to ask the Rubber Duck to leave when it needed the pier."