Chinese President returns to Hong Kong to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Britain's return

Hong Kong-When Chinese President Xi Jinping got off the high-speed train on Thursday to perform a traditional lion dance performance with a crowd of flag-waving residents. It was his first trip across the borders of mainland China in nearly 900 days since the beginning of the pandemic, and Chinese leaders have been on Chinese territory since the 2019 rebel protests paralyzed the city. This is the first time I have set foot.

"Hong Kong has endured many rigorous tests," Xi made a brief statement on arrival. "After the ups and downs, Hong Kong rose from the ashes and showed vigorous vitality."

In a typhoon warning, a tight security blanket, and a COVID-19 bubble, Xi spent two days. He returned to the city for a visit and launched a new government approved in Beijing, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the previous government. The return of the British colony to China and marking the midpoint of the 50-year "one country, two systems" promises that Hong Kong will be able to maintain a system of autonomy and capitalism.

Hong Kong's COVID-19 infection is much higher than the Zero-COVID mainland, so everyone who joins and interacts with Xi and its delegations over the next two days must be quarantined in advance. was. According to local media reports, Xi is not expected to spend the night in Hong Kong and instead chooses to cross the border before returning on Friday morning. His total time in the city adds only a few hours in two days.

Nevertheless, Xi was bullish on his praise.

"One country, two systems has a strong vitality," Xi declared. "It can guarantee Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability."

For many, the basis for its "one country, two systems" promise was Xi in Hong Kong in 2017. It has collapsed since the last 20th anniversary of its delivery.

5 years ago In his speech, Xi issued a brief warning that "any attempt to jeopardize China's sovereignty and security and challenge the power of the central government" or "use". Hong Kong's infiltration and obstruction of the mainland is an act that crosses the red line and is absolutely unacceptable.

Hours after that speech, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents are still on the streets that year due to the annual anti-democratic movement through vibrant Asian financial centers. I was able to. Newsagent's shops still sell democratic newspapers and magazines, and a noisy delegation of opposition politicians was angry with builders.

Five years later, Xi arrived in a very different city. The city is silent on outward complaints.

The occasional fierce street protest that caught the world's attention in 2019 crossed the "red line" he warned, in Xi's view.

In the pandemic, Beijing imposed a security crackdown that not only calmed the streets, but also restructured the city. The National Security Act, seeded in Hong Kong two years ago, blocked, expelled, and silenced almost all of its former opponents.

Proponents have denied it, but speeches have also been reduced in the name of national security. The protest march has disappeared, and all memories of the crackdown on Tennan Gate Square have been erased. Jimmy Lai's Apple Daily from Tycoon went last year. Rye himself is currently sitting behind the bar at several points, including national security accusations that could be put in jail for his entire life.

All officials and lawmakers have been rewritten n Last year, to ensure that "only patriots rule Hong Kong", a scale in favor of Beijing for a foreseeable future Tilt and closed the door to further democratic reform. Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the "Basic Law," was aimed at working towards the final universal suffrage, but is now pending indefinitely.

The school curriculum says that Beijing-approved "patriotism" will permeate at a young age, including a new textbook waiting on the wings to deny that Hong Kong was once a British colony. It has been reviewed to ensure. 56} never acknowledged British rule over their sovereign territory.

Hong Kong's strict COVID measures and closed borders have opened cities not only from mainland China, but also from other parts of the world where local government policies are squeezing Hong Kong's position as an aviation hub and international financial center. I shut it off. With the economy shrinking by 4% in the first quarter of this year, it was one of the worst performances in 30 years.

Some or all of these factors contribute to Hong Kong residents voting on their own feet. Since the beginning of this year, there have been154,000 net departuresfrom the city, the highest rate since Hong Kong returned to China.

China's state media reported on Thursday that the People's Daily became "" Patron Saints "to protect Hong Kong's prosperity and stability."

Hong Kong's future is at a terrifying crossroads, and Beijing knows it. Earlier this month, Beijing's Hong Kong&Macau Secretariat, led by former security official John Lee, took unprecedented steps despite the city's envisioned autonomy. Announced the administration's goals. Beijing's crackdown on democratic movements and the press. At the top of the

list is the issue of affordable housing, and Beijing has accused the city of dissatisfaction and "to improve Hong Kong's international competitiveness."

At the commemorative ceremony on Friday morning, Xi is expected to give another speech outlining his vision for Hong Kong over the next five years. Unlike his 2017 speech, the government claims to have already dealt with those he deems violated, so there's no need to worry about issuing a red line.

Xi, who is consolidating his proceedings to become unprecedented third president later this year, wins the lap as the leader who finally turned this former rebellious city back. May take.