Chinese leader Xi Jinping has left mainland China for the first time in over two years, arriving in Hong Kong on Thursday ahead of the 25th anniversary of the British handover of the city.
Xi traveled to the former British colony via high-speed train, and he was greeted by a large, flag-waving crowd chanting, “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome,” according to reports. Xi, the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, is expected to spend two days in Hong Kong attending events marking the return of Chinese rule in the city and the transfer of leadership to a new chief executive in Hong Kong.
“I’m very happy to be in Hong Kong,” Xi said in a speech upon his arrival. “It’s been five years since I last visited, and in the past five years, I’ve been paying attention to and thinking about Hong Kong.”
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The city of 7.5 million people is emerging from strict COVID-19 lockdowns that have paralyzed the global financial hub. China’s “zero-COVID policy” effectively shut down Hong Kong’s border, and it has kept Xi on the mainland since January 2020. His last overseas trip was to Myanmar nearly 900 days ago.
“As long as we stick to the ‘one country, two systems’ framework, Hong Kong will certainly have a brighter future and will make new and bigger contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people,” Xi said.
Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, will celebrate on Friday the July 1, 1997, end of British rule on the island. Thousands of top officials, lawmakers, diplomats, and other guests are expected at the ceremony.
John Lee, a former police officer and security chief in Hong Kong, will be inaugurated as the city’s chief executive on the same day. Lee replaces Carrie Lam, who announced in April that she would not seek a second five-year term as chief executive. Lee was the chief of security during a crackdown on the protests over legislation that would have allowed criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial.
The protests received worldwide media attention, and under Lee, authorities in Hong Kong arrested over 10,000 people involved in the pro-democracy protests.
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Earlier this week, the State Department issued a security alert to U.S. citizens in Hong Kong, urging them to remain vigilant and exercise caution during Xi’s visit. The alert included a warning about taking photographs of police.
“President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Hong Kong June 30-July 1 for events marking the 25th handover anniversary and inauguration of the Chief Executive,” the State Department posted on Twitter. “Hong Kong Police Force may deploy 10,000+ police officers for security during the visit.”
