Article author:
Associated Press
Hong Kong (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping remains questionable as to whether he will attend the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's British-to-China rule and the appointment of a new leader in the territory.
China's Xinhua News Agency said Xi would attend the July 1st commemorative ceremony, but it was not clear if he would travel to the city.
As with most issues with the ruling Communist Party, top leader travel plans are generally kept secret. However, Xi has never traveled outside mainland China through the COVID-19 pandemic.
China's "zero corona" to completely eliminate outbreaks by mass-testing its population and blocking buildings, neighborhoods, or entire cities at once for several weeks. Stick to the strategy. In Hong Kong, infections have recently increased again after a flood of incidents that could overwhelm hospitals earlier this year.
Hong Kong's memorial ceremony is purely symbolic, but on Friday, former security chief John Lee, who led the crackdown on the 2019 anti-democratic movement, will become the city's chief executive officer. intend to do something.
Since the protest, Beijing has imposed national security laws that imprison, silence, or expel Hong Kong political activists. Reduction of freedom of expression and assembly. And if they were deemed non-patriotism, they excluded or disqualified people from public office.
In 2017, Xi made a speech to commemorate the 20th anniversary, promising that the central government would take a strong stance on any challenge to its authority.
