China warns HK protesters with army video

China’s military has released a slick propaganda video showing a drill of armed troops quelling a protest in Hong Kong, as its commander for the city voiced determination to maintain law and order following two months of pro-democracy rallies.

The double-barrel signals on Wednesday were the strongest public interventions from China’s armed forces into the crisis, which has seen masses of people take to the global financial hub’s streets to demand more freedoms.

The video, posted online by the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) garrison in Hong Kong, shows tanks, helicopters, rocket launchers and heavily armed troops in action across various locations of the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

The three-minute clip also specifically features an “anti-riot” drill in which soldiers with assault rifles, armoured personnel carriers and water cannons disperse a crowd of protesters in Hong Kong.