Hong Kong’s 25th Anniversary Return to China: Xi Jinping Installs Controversial Head of Government | Abroad

The official activities started with a flag ceremony. The Hong Kong flag was hoisted in Victoria Harbor next to the Chinese flag. As part of the festivities, John Lee was also sworn in as Hong Kong’s new head of government on Friday. That ceremony was presided over by Xi Jinping. As head of the city-state’s security forces, Lee was responsible for the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in recent years.

Until a few years ago, violent demonstrations took place on the anniversary of the return to China. However, since the introduction of the strict national security law two years ago, there have been no more protest marches.

Hong Kong was a British colony from 1841 to 1997, until the city was handed over to China on July 1, 1997.
At the handover in 1997, London and Beijing agreed that Hong Kong would have a special status within China for the first fifty years, the so-called “one country, two systems” principle. Hong Kong should enjoy a certain amount of autonomy and freedoms in this regard. But under the current administration, which enacted the controversial security law, democratic freedoms were already severely curtailed.

After 25 years, Xi Jinping says he has no doubts about the special status. The model is “such a good system that there is no reason to change it. It must be preserved in the long term,” said the Chinese president. Xi also assured Friday that “real democracy” started with the return of Hong Kong. “After reunification with the motherland, the people of Hong Kong have become the boss of their own city.”

It is Xi’s first trip outside mainland China since the start of the corona pandemic and his first visit to Hong Kong since the pro-democracy movement of 2019. The visit is accompanied by strict security measures, also to exclude a possible corona infection.