In a slight departure from tradition, Carrie Lam will not be spending this year’s National Day in Hong Kong. Instead, she’s headed to Beijing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The news was announced in a brief government press release issued this morning, saying that the chief executive will be leading a delegation of more than 240 people to Beijing for the momentous event.
And for those of you wondering, no she didn’t fly with Cathay Pacific, but with Air China.
HK Chief Executive Carrie Lam boarded flight to Beijing for the national day ceremony, shaking hands and taking selfie with fellow passengers. She’s flying with Air China. pic.twitter.com/yaSCLfnqSu
— Hao HONG 洪灝, CFA (@HAOHONG_CFA) September 30, 2019
Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay has been reeling under pressure from the mainland to bring itself in line with Beijing’s stance on the protests.
The airline has been excoriated by Chinese officials because some of its staff have either taken part or expressed support for the city’s protests.
Several members of the airline’s staff have been fired, including the head of the airline’s flight attendants’ union, and several high-level executives, including the airline’s CEO, have resigned amid the turmoil.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Cathay Pacific’s CEO had been fired. In fact, he resigned from his post. Coconuts HK apologizes for any confusion caused.
