Chinese Battle Fleet Stages Hong Kong Show of Force

Eight Chinese warships cruised into Hong Kong harbour yesterday in the greatest show of naval might in the territory since it was transferred from British rule in 1997.

The display of force was aimed at two targets. It was intended to generate patriotism in Hong Kong, where many hold mixed feelings about the Chinese military, and to warn Taiwan that Beijing is prepared to go to war rather than accept the island's independence.

Led by the missile destroyer Shenzhen, one of the most sophisticated vessels in the Chinese navy, the flotilla comprised four guided-missile frigates, two submarines and another destroyer. They docked in a trading port more used to container ships.

Next Wednesday, they will depart ostentatiously through the heart of Victoria Bay, better known for the Star Ferry and luxury yachts.

The commander of the battle group said the warships were on permanent standby to deal with a crisis across the Taiwan Strait.

"We, the Chinese People's Liberation Army, are ready at any time to obey our motherland's orders," said Vice Admiral Yao Xingyuan. "If necessary, we have the ability to preserve the stability of the Taiwanese political situation."

Beijing has watched with rising alarm as Taiwan - an island it regards as a renegade province - has edged closer towards independence.

After the disputed re-election in March of Taiwan's pro-independence leader, President Chen Shui-bian, and subsequent political protests, the authorities on the mainland warned that they were ready to intervene if the disturbances worsened.

Yesterday, the Hong Kong media said the military's top brass was about to be expanded from four to seven members to better prepare for any war with Taiwan. Wen Wei Po, a newspaper with close ties to Beijing, said the naval commander, Vice Admiral Zhang Dingfa, the air force chief, General Qiao Qingchen, and the second artillery corps commander, Lieutenant-General Jing Zhiyuan, would join the ruling Communist party's central military commission.

The port call appears part of a concerted military and political effort by the Chinese government to remind Hong Kong of its loyalties and obligations to the mainland.

The visit, timed to mark the 55th anniversary of the founding of the PLA navy, comes days after the legislature in Beijing controversially ruled out universal suffrage and direct elections for Hong Kong's chief executive in 2007.

Many people in Hong Kong feel that decision has eroded the autonomy the territory was promised under the "one country, two-systems" agreement reached with Britain during the handover period. China has countered this by questioning the patriotism of pro-democracy activists.

But it is far from certain that the arrival of the battle group will boost nationalist sentiment. Since the PLA fired on civilians during the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Beijing, the national army has stirred mixed feelings in Hong Kong.

The territory's unpopular chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, gave an enthusiastic welcome to the warships yesterday. "The PLA has made great contributions to Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability," he said.

Political analysts saw the high-profile port call as part of a process of harmonising relations with the mainland.

"I wouldn't say this was a threatening gesture," said Christine Loh of the independent public-policy thinktank Civic Exchange. "Despite the inglorious incidents in its past, the PLA is now accepted by people in Hong Kong as the national military. There must be a touch of normality in the way we interact with it."