Exclusive: China's PLA signals it will keep Hong Kong-based troops in barracks

FILE PHOTO: Members of People's Liberation Army (PLA) honour guards march for the flag raising ceremony during an open day of Stonecutters Island naval base, in Hong Kong, China, June 30, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

HONG KONG/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Chinese military commander responsible for Hong Kong has assured a Pentagon official that Chinese troops will not interfere in the city's affairs – an apparent signal that they will stay in their barracks amid renewed political upheaval.

Trucks full of white-gloved People's Liberation Army soldiers rolled into Hong Kong within hours of Britain handing its colony back to Chinese rule in 1997, sparking anxiety and raising lingering questions about their role.