Hong Kong has 'risen from the ashes', China's Xi says on rare visit
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[June 30, 2022]
By Marius Zaharia
HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong has overcome
its challenges and "risen from the ashes", China's President Xi Jinping
said on Thursday, as he arrived in the former British colony to
celebrate 25 years since its return to Chinese rule.
Xi will swear in the global financial hub's new leader, John Lee, on
Friday during his first visit to the city since 2017, which is also his
first known trip outside the mainland in more than two years, amid the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Wearing masks, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, stepped off a high-speed
train to be greeted by children waving flowers and Chinese and Hong Kong
flags and chanting "Welcome, welcome, warmly welcome" in Mandarin.
"Hong Kong has withstood severe tests again and again, overcoming
challenges one by one," Xi said during a brief speech. "After the wind
and rain, Hong Kong has risen from the ashes."
Authorities organised a lion dance celebration while a police band
played. Security was tight at the train station with police making
stop-and-search checks, assisted by sniffer dogs.
Some analysts see Xi's visit as a victory tour after Beijing tightened
its control of Hong Kong with a sweeping national security law,
following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
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"It is a celebration of the central government's victory over the
political opposition in Hong Kong," said John Burns, a professor in the
Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of
Hong Kong.
Outgoing city leader Carrie Lam and her husband were among those who
welcomed Xi at the station, which has not been used for two years
because of COVID restrictions.
City streets were festooned with red China flags and posters declaring a
"new era" of stability.
Xi's full official schedule for the visit has not been released. It was
not immediately clear if the celebrations would be affected by an
expected typhoon.
On his last visit to Hong Kong, Xi warned against any acts endangering
China's sovereignty, saying the city needed to beef up its national
security arrangements.
While tens of thousands of demonstrators marched during Xi's visit five
years ago, no protests are expected this time because of the city's
heightened security and with the most outspoken opposition politicians
and democracy activists either in jail or self-exile.
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![](../images/063022pics/news_k19.jpg)
China's President Xi Jinping speaks upon his arrival via high-speed
rail, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the former British colony's
handover to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, China June 30, 2022. Selim
Chtayti/Pool via REUTERS
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule under a "once
country, two systems" formula meant to preserve its freedoms but
critics say they have been eroded as Beijing exerts control.
Beijing and Hong Kong's government reject that saying they have
"restored order from chaos" so that the city can prosper.
WARNINGS AND COVID TESTS
Lui Kam-ho, a senior policeman, warned this week against any acts of
violence or public disorder. The police force of more than 30,000
said it would deploy its resources to ensure security for the
celebrations.
Police closed parts of Hong Kong, blocking roads and enforcing a
no-fly zone over Victoria Harbour.
Resident Karis Ho, 31, said the security measures were an
inconvenience for the public and "made Xi appear sensitive".
Angel Chau, 62, was excited.
"It shows how much he values Hong Kong," Chau said.
Members of pro-democracy group the League of Social Democrats said
they would scrap plans for demonstrations after national security
officers warned them not to protest during Xi's visit.
Incoming leader Lee, a former policeman the United States has placed
under sanctions over the national security law, and Lam have been
taking daily COVID tests and staying in a quarantine hotel for days
before Xi's visit, media said.
Hong Kong reported 2,358 COVID cases on Thursday, with daily
infections rising.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Jun/30/images/ads/current/charrons_bch_2022.png)
China's strategy of stamping out COVID outbreaks as soon as they
occur, at just about any cost, contrasts with a global trend of
co-existing with the disease.
Some journalists have been blocked from covering the ceremonies,
with the Hong Kong government citing security requirements.
Xi, poised to secure a precedent-breaking third leadership term at a
Communist Party congress this year, is expected to spend the night
in the neighbouring city of Shenzhen on Thursday before departing
from Hong Kong on Friday.
(Reporting by Hong Kong and Beijing bureaus; Writing by Marius
Zaharia; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Robert Birsel)
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