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China’s military
ChinaMilitary

China Coast Guard posts video of patrols off Hong Kong as Xi Jinping’s Macau visit puts onus on security

  • Footage shows authorities foiling smugglers and border crossings, although without stating when it took place or the origin of those involved
  • It comes amid protests in Hong Kong and before Xi’s expected visit to Macau for the 20th anniversary of its handover

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China Coast Guard vessels patrol around the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in the video posted on Weibo. Photo: Handout
Liu Zhen
China’s coastguard has published a video of its patrols on the border between Hong Kong and Guangdong province amid ongoing political turmoil in Hong Kong and ahead of the 20th anniversary of the handover of neighbouring Macau.

The authorities have captured hundreds of suspects in a recent campaign, including 190 for illegal border crossing and 379 for goods smuggling, the China Coast Guard (CCG) said on Monday in the video, which it posted on Weibo.

There were 19 cases of illegal crossing, involving 16 ships, and 404 smuggling cases, involving 371 vessels, according to the video, which does not specify which dates the operations covered or the origins of the people and vessels.

The footage shows a fleet of five to seven CCG patrol vessels operating around the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, as well as offshore of the busy ports in the region.

The video also shows CCG ships circling and spraying a cargo ship, frogmen diving under water, and heavily armed officers holding assault guns boarding smaller boats, along with an announcement in Mandarin and Cantonese.

“This is the China Coast Guard. In any waters of China we protect your safety and fight crimes of all kinds,” it states.

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