China’s President Xi Jinping arrives in Hong Kong to mark 25th handover anniversary

Asia-Pacific, News July 1, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hong Kong on June 30, to mark the 25 years since the former British colony was returned under Beijing’s rule.

This is the first time President Xi has left mainland China in almost two and half years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Xi took the high-speed rail to reach Hong Kong where he was greeted at the station by young students holding flowers as they waved the flags of China and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam and her successor John Lee were also among those who welcomed President Xi at a high-speed railway terminal that had been closed for almost two years to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Security has been tightened in the city due to the arrival of the Chinese president.

President Xi met with more than 160 officials and key Beijing supporters at the city’s convention center. While giving a brief speech to a gathering consisting of senior government officials, heads of law enforcement agencies, and the city’s Chief Justice, President Xi said that Hong Kong had “risen from the ashes” after facing a series of challenges in the recent times.

“In the past, Hong Kong has withstood severe tests again and again, overcoming challenges one by one,” Xi added. The Chinese president also attended a gathering hosted by the departing Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong’s former police chief and high-level bureaucrat, John Lee, is set to become the city’s new Chief Executive after receiving a 99.2% approval rate from the Election Commission of Hong Kong back in May 2022.

*^{Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) with the newly appointed sixth-term chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee. (Image Credit: Xinhua/via GlobalTimes)}*

John Lee was sworn in as the sixth Chief Executive of Hong Kong after serving as Chief Executive of Hong Kong. His oath was administered by President Xi Jinping. During his inauguration speech, Lee said that “I will lead my team to strive to build a more caring and inclusive Hong Kong filled with vibrancy, hope, and development opportunities.”

Lee played an important part in introducing the new security laws in 2019, which were met with severe protests leaving Hong Kong paralyzed for weeks. The Hong Kong administration since then has been using the law and order authorities to effectively ban street protests.

Beijing had promised the former British colony five decades of self-governance in order to pave a smooth path for Hong Kong’s integration into mainland China. President Xi’s arrival in Hong Kong to mark the 25th handover anniversary sends a strong message that Beijing wants the integration process to go faster than the promised five decades time period.

Although an expected typhoon has dampened the celebrations to mark the halfway milestone until Beijing can completely takeover Hong Kong into its political and economic system, the city has been decorated with red flags of China and Hong Kong as well as posters proclaiming a ‘new era’ of stability for Hong Kong.

China's national flags and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) flags fly along the Lee Tung Avenue in Hong Kong, China on June 28, 2022 — *^{China’s national flags and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) flags fly along the Lee Tung Avenue in Hong Kong, China on June 28, 2022. (Image Credit: Xinhua/via ChinaDaily)}*

During the anniversary celebrations President Xi said Beijing had always acted “for the good of Hong Kong. After reuniting with the motherland, Hong Kong’s people became the masters of their own city,” he said. “Hong Kong’s true democracy started from here.”

After holding meetings and participating in gatherings, President Xi did not stay the night in Hong Kong but instead chose to go back to the mainland and then come again on the next day to commence the anniversary ceremony.