LAU CHAK-KEI, the station sergeant of the Hong Kong Police Tactical Unit, was welcomed by residents at the Wangfujing shopping street in Beijing on Sunday. Lau has participated in multiple operations combating violence and riots in Hong Kong and is becoming very popular on the Chinese mainland.

Lau has been invited to participate in the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Lau climbed the Great Wall in Beijing yesterday and posted photos of himself with tourists on his social media account.

Before leaving for Beijing, Lau said that he looked forward to seeing the fireworks, climbing the Great Wall and eating roast duck in Beijing, and many Chinese Internet users extended a warm welcome to him.

A total of 10 representatives of the Hong Kong Police Force, including Lau, were invited to the military parade and celebrations of the 70th anniversary. They arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Sunday.

This is Lau’s first visit to Beijing and he told the Global Times on Sunday that it was an honor to represent the Hong Kong Police Force on the anniversary.

Lau attracted wide attention for pointing a shotgun at rioters in self-defense outside Kwai Chung police station in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on July 30. He has become a star on Weibo and had gained more than 510,000 followers as of Sunday.

Lau told the Global Times at the Hong Kong International Airport before leaving for Beijing that he has two main wishes for his Beijing trip: One is to see the military parade and the other is to go to the Great Wall.

Lau’s remarks attracted many Chinese netizens’ attention and the video of his interview had been viewed more than 4 million times as of Sunday.

Many netizens said that they were happy to see Lau come to the Chinese mainland, and that they hope he enjoys his time in Beijing.

According to the Hong Kong police, the invited representatives of the Hong Kong Police Force include police officers and some management personnel who participated in curbing the violence in Hong Kong in the past two months, the China News Service reported in August.

Lin Zhiwei, chairman of the Hong Kong Police Forces Association and also one of the invited representatives, said in an interview with the China News Service that the invitation is a great honor and shows the affirmation from the Central Government for the work of the Hong Kong police. Lin said they will unswervingly overcome all the difficulties to maintain Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity.  (Global Times)