Documents Show Chinese Military Considered Intervention in 2014 Umbrella Movement

Classified documents from late 2014 show that senior Chinese military officials discussed a possible armed intervention in Hong Kong during the Umbrella Movement and ordered preparations for troops to act immediately upon command. Takashi Suzuki, a professor at Daito Bunka University in Japan who researches Chinese politics, obtained the records, which cover military meetings held between October and November 2014.

Military Preparations Ordered During 2014 Umbrella Movement

One document dated Nov. 2, 2014, records remarks by Wei Liang, who served as political commissar of the Guangzhou Military Region at the time.

We must make full preparations to respond to an extreme situation in Hong Kong with military action.

Wei Liang

Wei Liang also stated,

Once we receive the order, we will immediately take action to ensure that the situation is brought under control.

Wei Liang

At the time, the Guangzhou Military Region held responsibility for southern China. Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who serves as chairman of the Central Military Commission, also attended military meetings referenced in the documents, according to Kyodo News.

First Evidence of Considered Intervention

Toru Kurata, a Hong Kong politics expert at Rikkyo University in Japan, noted that the documents mark the first time evidence has emerged showing the Chinese military considered intervening in Hong Kong during the protests. Suzuki stated that the records demonstrate a real possibility that Chinese troops could have been deployed to suppress the demonstrations. Chinese troops ultimately were not deployed. Beijing’s choice to forgo military force may have stemmed from lessons learned regarding the international isolation China faced after the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, Kyodo News reported.

Umbrella Movement Protests Span 79 Days

The Umbrella Movement spanned 79 days, running from Sept. 26 to Dec. 15, 2014. Student activist Joshua Wong and other organizers launched a class boycott and entered the forecourt of the East Wing of the Hong Kong government headquarters on the evening of Sept. 26, drawing large crowds of supporters. In the early hours of Sept. 28, Benny Tai, Chan Kin-man, and Chu Yiu-ming announced the launch of Occupy Central with Love and Peace, and the protests continued for more than two months. During this period, Hong Kong operated under the one country, two systems framework, and direct military intervention by Beijing was widely viewed in the city as unthinkable, according to Kyodo News.