(CNN) — China claimed Thursday that the addition of fresh military troops to the Hong Kong garrison was simply a military rotation, sparking skepticism among US officials and widespread concern in Hong Kong, demonstrating how tense the city is ahead of a 13th consecutive weekend of anti-government protests.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang said the China's People's Liberation Army troop "rotation" in Hong Kong was a "routine arrangement." China has stationed troops in Hong Kong since it was turned over to the Chinese in 1997 from Great Britain.
The spokesman said the timing of this year's rotation was "similar to previous rotations" and "was decided based on the order of the Central Military Commission and the defense needs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region." He dodged a question about whether the number of troops and the amount of equipment have increased since the latest rotation.
The People's Liberation Army troop movements were carried out in the dead of the night and took place at the same time as a rotation of the garrison in neighboring Macao. They were announced by Chinese state media early Thursday morning.
While the rotation occurred at almost exactly the same time as last year, any PLA movements are tightly scrutinized for suggestions the military could be deployed to Hong Kong's streets to tackle the ongoing unrest.