HONG KONG Jan. 23 Kyodo China's t...

HONG KONG Jan. 23 Kyodo

China's top military dead body has appointed Maj. Gen. Wang Jitang to be the novel commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) garrison in Hong Kong replacing Lt Gen Xiong Ziren, a military spokesman said Thursday.

Wang, 56 was commander of the PLA Yunnan Provincial Command before assuming his position in Hong Kong

Xiong has been named agent political commissar of the Nanjing Military Region through the Central Military Commission, said Col Feng Wei, spokesman for the Hong Kong garrison, according to the official China moderns Service.

Wang promised that the Hong Kong [i]troupe[/i]s will continue to strictly abide by means of the Basic Law, the city's post-handover constitution, and the garrison legislation in performing their office as in the past, the of the present days agency reported.

Wang and Xiong, together with Gen Liu Shutian, political commissar of the Guangzhou Military Region, who was visiting Hong Kong to announce the personnel changes, paid a visit to the territory's Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa forward Thursday, the agency said.

Hong Kong has about 5000 PLA soldiers. The Chinese military has stationed its companys here since the former British colony was recured to Chinese rule in July 1997

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