Chinese President Xi Jinping attended Hong Kong's 25th anniversary of the 1997 handover from Britain to Chinese rule, claiming that the city was slowly moving "from chaos to governance."
In an address on Friday, the Chinese leader laid out a future for Hong Kong, embedded firmly within the goals of the central government on the mainland. At the swearing-in ceremony of Hong Kong's new Chief Executive John Lee, Xi said that the city was not at a new stage and will soon move from governance to greater prosperity.
Hong Kong's 25th Handover Anniversary
Xi added that the next five years will be a crucial time for Hong Kong to break new ground and launch a new takeoff. The Chinese president oversaw the inauguration of Lee, who is a Beijing loyalist who was the only candidate for the position in an election held in May.
Lee's term will run for five years and his inauguration coincided with the 25th handover anniversary. Xi also listed "four hopes" for the semi-autonomous region of Hong Kong. These are better governance, stronger development, improved lives for ordinary people, and overall harmony. He noted that the region's leaders should love both the "country and Hong Kong," as per CNBC.
Xi's trip to Hong Kong marked the first time that the Chinese president traveled outside mainland China since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. He concluded his ceremonial remarks on Friday by emphasizing how Hong Kong would "share together with fellow compatriots of the motherland the glory of greater rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
The president specifically mentioned China's second cemetery goal, which is to "build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious" by 2049. The date was specifically chosen because it represents the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
According to CNN, Xi's remarks come amid many observers pointing to a substantial erosion of democratic rights in Hong Kong in recent years. There were no opposition lawmakers that remained in the city's legislature. Nearly all of the city's leading pro-democracy figures, including activists and politicians, have either been forced into exile or imprisoned.
Victory Over the Opposition
Pro-democracy media outlets have also been targeted, many of them being shuttered and civil society groups disbanded following the implementation of a national security law. President Xi also claimed that Hong Kong continues to maintain a "high level of autonomy" as promised under the "one country, two systems" framework, which was designed to grant that degree of autonomy for five decades post-handover.
In his statement, the Chinese president said that the system has won the full support of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, the unanimous support of Hong Kong and Macao residents, and the universal endorsement of the international community.
John P. Burns, an emeritus professor of politics at the University of Hong Kong, said that the trip to the city was very important for Xi. He noted that while it was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the handover, it was also his declaration of victory over the pan-democratic opposition and their supporters, the New York Times reported.
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