The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Macao Garrison troops arrived at their barracks in the newly-established Macao Special Administrative Region on December 20.

About 500 officers and soldiers of the PLA Macao Garrison set off at about 11:18 a.m. from their barracks in Zhuhai city of south China's Guangdong province.

About 200,000 people in Zhuhai city turned out to see off the troops.

At 12:00, a military jeep first crossed the Gongbei Control Line, entering Macao. Shortly, all of the garrison troops entered Macao, marking the presence of the first Chinese troops in Macao for more than 100 years.

Riding in about ten armored and more than 60 other vehicles, the garrison troops drove on toward their barracks in Macao, receiving a warm welcome from tens of thousands of Macao people on the way. Energetically waving bright-colored red five-star national flags and regional flags of the Macao SAR, people shouted out their heartfelt joy at the stationing of PLA troops in Macao.

On behalf of all Macao compatriots, Ma Man Kei, a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of the Macao Chamber of Commerce, presented the garrison with a gilded inscribed board carrying the words "A Mighty and Civilized Force" and a brocade banner bearing the words "A Mighty Force, A Civilized Army."

At 12:28 p.m., the advance unit of the garrison troops arrived at their temporary barracks at Long Cheng Mansion in downtown Macao.

At 12:42 p.m., the last military jeep of the incoming troops arrived at the barracks, bringing to an end the 16-kilometer trip by the garrison troops.

The PLA Macao Garrison's responsibility is to defend the Macao SAR in accordance with China's Constitution and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR.