A Chinese province which borders Hong Kong has ordered 150,000 police officers to step up their effort in anti-riot campaigns in a warning to anti-government protesters in the financial hub.
The police authority of Guangdong Province in southern China urged the land, naval and air forces across the region to conduct more drills to improve their combat capabilities ahead of the country's National Day on October 1.
Hong Kong has been rocked by more than 100 days of street protests which call for democratic reforms.
The country's ruling Communist Party will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of its regime in less than two weeks time, and the ongoing pro-democracy unrest is one of the most sensitive and critical issues it faces.
Guangdong and Hong Kong share close social and cultural ties. Many Hong Kongers have ancestors from Guangdong, previously known as Canton, and both regions speak Cantonese.
The Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department yesterday demanded its troops to carry out more live-fire drills to sharpen their skills.
It said the forces must live up to the responsibilities given by the Communist Party and the people.
The department released a Hollywood-style video through Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, which shows officers conducting a series of drills in preparation for a potential crackdown on Hong Kong protesters.
Large-scale exercises were organised in 21 cities across the province, including populous cities like Zhuhai.
Beijing has labelled a small group of more violent Hong Kong protesters 'rioters' and 'terrorists', and described their rallies as 'political terrorism'.
The drills have involved 150,000 officers and featured helicopters, naval vessels and cutting-edge high-tech technologies, according to Passion News, a news outlet affiliated to Young Pioneers of China.
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