An undated photo of a Chinese Jiangdao-class corvette
If you’re exercising on the shores of Tolo Harbour chances are good that you will see a PLA corvette anchored out on the water. A BUZZ team member out jogging has seen one of them three times, always at anchor with its bow facing the entrance of Tolo Harbour. Twice the ship has had a rainbow arching over it. The latest time the corvette was seen it had a smaller escort vessel. It would be most unwise to do anything to annoy the PLA sailors. The deceptively little ship has far more punching power than you would expect.
The PLA Navy’s missile destroyer Haikou docks at Stonecutters Island. Photo: Edmond Tang and Roy Liu/China Daily
There are two corvettes based in Hong Kong named Huizhou and Qinzhou. They bristle with weaponry, a 76mm gun, two 30mm cannons, two anti-ship missiles, a SAM missile launcher and two 324 torpedo tubes. Sailing by Stonecutters Island naval base on a ferry you will likely see one of the corvettes berthed behind a breakwater.
Huizhou and Qinzhou are part of a small flotilla of ships stationed at the Hong Kong Garrison. They are rotated along with smaller ships in and out of China.
The Garrison, commanded by Major General Chen Daoxiang, has 19 bases in Hong Kong inherited from the British in 1997. The bases total 2750 hectares. The PLA Air Force maintains 12 helicopters at Sek Kong air field. They are branded with Chinese names but look exactly like French Dauphin helicopters. Often you will see them in the Sai Kung skies. You won’t currently see HK Aviation Club aircraft overhead — they are based in the PLA air field — because Covid has got the Garrison commanders so worried they won’t let club members in to fly.
The total Hong Kong Garrison numbers 10,000 to 12,000 men and women. The PLA Army has based here an infantry garrison brigade, honour guard battalion, three infantry battalions, artillery battalion, engineer battalion, reconnaissance-special ops battalion and an intelligence gathering battalion.
Be the first to comment