HONG KONG, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Tuesday handed over the Central Military Dock to the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in the HKSAR.
The dock has been delimited as a military restricted zone with effect from 7:00 a.m. local time Tuesday and will be managed and used by the garrison, the HKSAR government said, citing the Law of the People's Republic of China on Garrisoning the HKSAR.
The dock in Central is 150 meters long and has an area of 0.3 hectare.
Under the Basic Law of the HKSAR, the central government is responsible for the defense of the HKSAR. The dock is a military site and facility that should be re-provisioned by the HKSAR government for the garrison.
The dock is the last military facility required to be re-provisioned for use by the garrison, and the HKSAR government has fulfilled its relevant responsibilities after the handover, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said.
This is a historic moment that fully underlines the relationship between the central authorities and the HKSAR under "one country, two systems" and carries an important constitutional significance, Lam said.
Over the past 23 years since Hong Kong returned to the motherland, the garrison has been performing its defense duties strictly in accordance with the Basic Law, the garrison law and relevant laws, Lam said.
The garrison has provided a solid back-up for maintaining the HKSAR's long-term prosperity and stability and is well respected by Hong Kong residents, Lam said.
Commander of the PLA Garrison in the HKSAR Chen Daoxiang said the garrison will use and manage the dock in strict accordance with the law and continue to keep close communications with relevant departments to ensure the sound operation of the dock.