BEIJING — Hong Kong has taken a key step towards approving the construction of a Chinese military port along its waterfront, China’s state media reported Saturday, despite fierce public opposition to the move.
In a unanimous decision, Hong Kong’s Town Planning Board Friday gave the green light for the construction of a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military port in the city’s Central District, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said.
The proposal to develop the port — marked for an area of prime harborfront property covering 2,970 square meters — must now be approved by Hong Kong’s top policy-making body before it becomes final, CCTV reported.
A spokesman for the planning board told the broadcaster that the port, which would be the PLA’s first in Hong Kong, had been in planning since 1994, three years before the former British colony was handed back to China.
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