Xi is anticipated to spend two days in the monetary hub and attend a collection of official occasions to mark each the July 1 handover and the inauguration ceremony of the metropolis’s subsequent Beijing appointed chief John Lee, a former police officer and safety chief.
In the nearly 900 days since Xi final left the mainland on January 17, 2020, his diplomatic actions have been restricted to digital summits and video conferences, lending specific significance to his Hong Kong journey.
Xi arrived in the metropolis Thursday afternoon, through high-speed prepare from the Chinese border metropolis of Shenzhen, whereupon he was met by giant crowd waving nationwide flags and chanting in unison: “Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome.”
He was then led alongside a pink carpet, as colourful lion dancers carried out, including to the din of drumming, chanting and trumpets.
Xi was first greeted by Hong Kong’s departing Chief Executive Carrie Lam and her prime officers. After exchanging a number of phrases, Xi and his delegation slowly made their method via the station, waving to the crowd and talking with different officers current.
“It has been more than five years since my last visit to Hong Kong. Over the past five years, I have been paying close attention to Hong Kong and caring about it,” stated Xi in a brief speech afterward.
“Over the past few years, Hong Kong has withstood one severe test after another and overcome one risk and challenge after another. After weathering the storms, Hong Kong has emerged from the ashes with vigorous vitality.”
Leaving the Covid bubble
“If we calculate the total costs and benefits, our Covid policies are the most economical and effective,” Xi stated, including that China had the capacity to proceed its zero-Covid strategy “until the final victory.”
In advance of Xi’s go to, Hong Kong imposed a variety of Covid restrictions. As of final week, prime officers have been forbidden from attending public occasions and restricted to utilizing non-public autos when commuting. They have additionally been examined every day for Covid, and should spend Thursday night time in a quarantine resort earlier than Friday’s handover ceremony.
Arriving in a modified metropolis
The final time Xi visited Hong Kong to mark the handover was in 2017, for the twentieth anniversary, when he was met with streets full of pro-democracy protesters.
A subsequent crackdown noticed almost all of Hong Kong’s main pro-democracy figures, together with activists and politicians, both jailed or compelled into exile.
Of the organizations that stay, none have utilized for permits to stage peaceable protests throughout Xi’s journey, in response to police. The League of Social Democrats, one of the few surviving pro-democracy political events, stated it might not stage any protests after a number of members met with nationwide safety police.
The Hong Kong authorities has repeatedly defended the nationwide safety legislation, saying it has restored order to the metropolis, which was rocked by pro-democracy, anti-government protests in 2019.
Venues closed, no-fly zone
Taking no possibilities, police have ramped up safety and shut down areas near key venues. Pedestrian footbridges, highways and one prepare station in some of the busiest areas of Hong Kong have been quickly closed for Thursday and Friday.
A no-fly zone has additionally been established throughout the metropolis’s harbor, with drone use restricted all through Xi’s go to.
According to the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), not less than 10 journalists working for native and worldwide organizations had their functions to cowl the occasions rejected for “security reasons.”
“With media unable to send journalists on the ground, the HKJA expresses utmost regret over the rigid reporting arrangements made by the authorities for such a major event,” the press group stated on Tuesday.
CNN’s Kathleen Magramo contributed reporting.
