Xi in HK: ‘One country, two systems’ here to stay

25 YEARS SINCE HANDOVER Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday made his first visit to Hong
Kong since 2017, but did not attend the flag raising ceremony held at the Golden Bauhinia Square
to mark the 25th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule. —AFP

In rare visit, Chinese leader calls formula a success, amid accusations of freedom being curtailed

HONG KONG—There is no reason to change Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” formula of governance, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on a rare visit to the global financial hub after swearing in the city’s new leader, John Lee, on Friday.

Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, with Beijing promising wide-ranging autonomy, unfettered individual rights and judicial independence at least until 2047.

China’s critics accuse authorities of trampling on those freedoms, unavailable on the authoritarian mainland, with a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing on the city in 2020 after mass prodemocracy protests the year before.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Thursday that China had failed to meet its handover commitments.

‘Order from chaos’

China and Hong Kong reject the accusations, saying the law “restored order from chaos” so that the city could prosper.

Xi said the “one country, two systems” formula was successful under China’s “comprehensive jurisdiction.”“For this kind of good system, there is no reason at all to change it. It must be maintained over the long term,” Xi said.

“After experiencing wind and rain, everyone can painfully feel that Hong Kong cannot be chaotic, and must not become chaotic again… Hong Kong’s development cannot be delayed again, and any interference must be eliminated.”

Xi added China would support Hong Kong’s role as an international finance and trade hub.

At the swearing-in ceremonies, all officials, including Xi, wore masks and did not shake hands.

Exodus of talentFormer police officer Lee, sanctioned by Washington over his role in implementing the security law, takes charge as the city is facing an exodus of people and talent amid some of the toughest COVID-19 restrictions in the world.

China’s President Xi Jinping gives a speech following a swearing-in ceremony to inaugurate the city’s new leader and government in Hong Kong on July 1, 2022, on the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China. (Photo by Selim CHTAYTI / POOL / AFP)

Authorities deployed a massive security force, blocking roads and the airspace around the picturesque Victoria Harbour, where the last colonial governor, Chris Patten, tearfully handed Hong Kong back to China at a rain-drenched ceremony in 1997.

Red lanterns, Chinese and Hong Kong flags, and posters declaring a “new era” of stability decorated districts across the city.

Xi’s visit to Hong Kong is his first since 2017, when he swore in outgoing leader Carrie Lam and stayed in the city for the duration of his trip. His overnight whereabouts this time, and the reasons why he may have chosen Shenzhen, have not been officially confirmed.

Victory tour

Hong Kong recorded more than 2,000 daily COVID cases on Thursday, levels which would prompt tight restrictions in any mainland city. China is alone among major countries in choosing to eliminate outbreaks as soon as they occur, at all costs.

Some analysts see Xi’s visit as a victory tour after Beijing tightened its control of Hong Kong. After arriving in the city on Thursday, Xi said the city had overcome its challenges and “risen from the ashes.”

“What happened over the past 25 years has proven that the future and destiny of Hong Kong must be in the hands of the patriots who would cry proudly for being Chinese,” nationalist tabloid Global Times, published by the Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, wrote in an editorial. “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is irreversible and Hong Kong’s tomorrow will be even brighter.”

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