Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Thursday that Hong Kong has succeeded in “reviving the fire” after a difficult phase, arriving there on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the return of the former British colony to Beijing, his first visit since the crackdown on the city’s pro-democracy movement.
Xi Jinping’s visit is an occasion for the Chinese Communist Party to demonstrate its control over the city after a wave of pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019 forced Beijing to impose a harsh political crackdown.
“Over the past period, Hong Kong has experienced more than one dangerous test and overcame more than one danger and challenge,” the Chinese President said after arriving by express. “After the storm, Hong Kong is reborn from the fire and comes out with great vitality,” Xi said.
That anniversary comes on Friday as part of the “one country, two systems” system that the UK and China have agreed on, returning the city to Beijing in the middle of its deadline, as it sees the city retain some sort of autonomy. until 2047. The PRC chairman added that “facts have proven that the principle of the country + one, two systems + is full of vitality,” he said, adding that it can “guarantee Hong Kong’s long-term stability and prosperity, and be Hong Kong residents.” Critics believe that the national security law introduced by Beijing in 2020 after the 2019 demonstrations completely abolished the promised freedoms.
“closed loop”
Xi is making his first visit outside mainland China since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese President was accompanied by his wife Peng Yunnan and Foreign Minister Wang Li. He was greeted at the station by students with flags and bouquets of flowers, as well as dancers and some authorized media. The details of this visit remain strictly confidential and are surrounded by a heightened security presence.
Hong Kong government leaders have been forced to move to a closed system due to COVID-19. Parts of the city were sealed off and many journalists were not allowed to attend scheduled events. These measures signify the takeover of the city by the Chinese Communist Party after a wave of political repression that destroyed the democratic movement and crushed the opposition. But the Chinese president is likely to spend the night in the nearby mainland city of Shenzhen, according to local media. Those around the Chinese president, including senior government officials, have been urged to limit their contacts, undergo daily Covid tests and spend the days leading up to the visit in a hotel in quarantine.
“As a security measure, if we have to meet with the supreme leader and other leaders, I think we should take closed measures,” pro-Beijing politician Regina Yip told AFP.
patriotism
The authorities took steps to eliminate any potential source of embarrassment while Xi Jinping was in the city. Police and Homeland Security arrested at least nine people last week. The League of Socialist Democrats, one of Hong Kong’s last remaining opposition political parties, said it would not hold demonstrations on July 1 after talks with national security officers and volunteers associated with the group. League leaders told AFP that their homes had been ransacked and that they had also negotiated with the police. Shan Pu-ying, the leader of the group, said she had the impression that he had been followed in recent days.
Hong Kong’s leading public opinion institute has announced that it will postpone the publication of the results of an investigation into the government’s popularity “in response to proposals from the relevant government authorities after they have assessed the risks.” The anniversary of the return of Hong Kong from Britain to China on July 1, 1997 has long been the occasion for large peaceful demonstrations on the streets of the city. But under the influence of sanitary restrictions and repression, such gatherings have practically disappeared from the streets of Hong Kong in recent years.
“Safety Reasons”
Media coverage of Xi Jinping’s visit was severely limited. On Wednesday, Agence France-Presse received confirmation that 13 local and international journalists had been denied permission to cover the celebration of the city’s return to China. Two AFP journalists were among those denied identification, and a government spokesman spoke of unspecified “security concerns”. Then a third AFP correspondent received the statement. Some financial center facilities, such as the express train station, the Chinese Opera Hall and the Hong Kong Science Park, were closed.