The president participates in the events of the 25th anniversary of the return of the former British colony to China
Under strong security measures and a bubble against the covid, the president of China, Xi Jinping, has arrived in Hong Kong this Thursday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his return by the United Kingdom, which is commemorated this Friday, July 1 . In 1997 it was thought that, thanks to its liberal tradition, the British colony would help democratize the Communist Party regime, which continued to open its economy to capitalism and the world in search of its greatest growth in recent decades.
A quarter of a century later, the situation could not be more different. The Beijing regime has not only become more authoritarian under the presidency of Xi Jinping, but it has also destroyed the freedoms that Hong Kong enjoyed, which were greater than in the rest of China. Proof of this are the dozens of politicians from the democratic side who are in jail, such as the young Joshua Wong or the veteran Benny Tai, the closure of media outlets such as the ‘Apple’ newspaper and the dismantling of political and civil groups by fear of the draconian National Security Law. Imposed by Beijing just two years ago, this law criminalizes virtually all political opposition because the demands for democracy and universal suffrage can be considered attempts at secession and subversion, crimes punishable by between three years in prison and life in prison.
Just as the vigils for the Tiananmen massacre are no longer held, this year there will be no mass demonstration on July 1 to remember the transfer of sovereignty and the unfulfilled promise of universal suffrage, to which Beijing has committed in the Basic Law of Hong Kong under the principles of “one country, two systems” and “high level of autonomy”. Although both were supposed to be in force in theory until 2047 by virtue of the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984, they have been left in the lurch after the entry into force of the National Security Law and the new Electoral Law. Imposed last year, the law strengthens Beijing’s control over the appointment of Hong Kong’s chief executive and its local Parliament, thus vetoing politicians who claim democracy for their lack of “patriotism.”
With these laws, the Chinese regime has deactivated the democratic movement that led to the massive and violent demonstrations during the second half of 2019. To do this, it argues the control and stability that both have brought after the chaos caused by those protests, which have become weekend in an “urban guerrilla” that confronted the Police and destroyed the subway stations. To prevent incidents, the Police have closed the areas where the official delegation will pass, prohibited the flight of drones and searched the houses of democratic activists.
“In recent years, Hong Kong has experienced many tough tasks, overcoming numerous risks and challenges,” Xi Jinping said in a brief speech after arriving by train from China at West Kowloon Station. Waving pompoms and national flags to the sound of the ‘Welcome March’, played by the Police band, a small group of people awaited him there, including some schoolchildren. Without mentioning either the democratic protests or the coronavirus pandemic, Xi assured that “Hong Kong has gone through many difficulties, which demonstrates its vigor and vitality by the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, which is powerful and guarantees the well-being of the village”.
As seen in the live broadcast on CCTV state television, Xi arrived in the city accompanied by his wife, First Lady Peng Liyuan, and was received by outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who will be relieved tomorrow by former cop John Lee. The only candidate, Lee was appointed in May by the pro-Beijing electoral committee with 99.4% of his 1,416 votes. Before Xi Jinping, Lee will be sworn in this Friday at a ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, for which his assistants have had to quarantine for a week. In fact, two high-ranking local government officials who were infected with covid last week, Chief Secretary Eric Chan and the person in charge of relations with China, Erick Tsang, will not be able to attend despite the fact that they had already recovered on Monday.
Within this ‘anti-covid bubble’, President Xi meets this Thursday with 240 representatives of Hong Kong society, including businessmen, rectors and religious leaders, but he will not stay overnight in the city. After the day’s events, he will return to neighboring Shenzhen, mainland China, returning tomorrow for the 25th anniversary celebrations. A very different agenda from his last visit for the 2017 commemoration, when he participated in 20 events and even presided over a military parade with 3,000 soldiers at the People’s Liberation Army barracks in Yuen Long.
Especially wary of the coronavirus, it is the first time that Xi has left mainland China since the pandemic broke out in 2020. But only to visit a special administrative zone with its own border like Hong Kong, not to travel abroad. A very different situation from that of five years ago and, above all, from the return in 1997, when the West trusted in the democratization of the Chinese regime. Proving that they were just wishful thinking, this 25th anniversary coincides with the NATO summit in Madrid, which has included China as a “systemic” rival that “challenges our interests, security and values and seeks to undermine the rules of international order”.
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