Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his affection for Hong Kong as he arrived in the politically divided city today to mark 20 years since it was handed back to China by Britain.
“After nine years I am once again stepping on Hong Kong soil. I feel very happy. Hong Kong has always had a place in my heart,” he said in a brief speech on the tarmac at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport.
Xi said China would support the semi-autonomous city “as it always has”.
“… We are willing, together with different sectors of Hong Kong society, to look back on Hong Kong’s unusual course in the past 20 years, draw conclusions from the experience, look into the future and to ensure ‘one country, two systems’ is stable and has a far reaching future,” he said.
Xi arrived in Hong Kong on an Air China plane with his wife, the Chinese singer Peng Liyuan, and was welcomed by a marching band and flag-waving children holding banners.
The three-day visit is Xi‘s first since becoming leader in 2013 and comes at a time when there are growing fears that Beijing is threatening semi-autonomous Hong Kong’s freedoms.
High-profile pro-democracy campaigners including Joshua Wong and young legislator Nathan Law were arrested last night for causing “public nuisance” after staging a protest outside the convention center that will host some of the anniversary events, a stone’s throw away from the hotel where Xi will be staying.
More than 20 activists remained in custody this morning as supporters gathered at the police station where they were being held.
“They want to prevent people like Joshua Wong and Nathan Law from going onto the streets,” said fellow activist Derek Lam who was among supporters waiting outside.
The area around the convention center has been cordoned off by giant water-filled barricades and police have said they are taking “counter terrorism security measures” to ensure Xi‘s safety.
Animosity towards Beijing has grown in recent years, particularly among young people.
The failure of mass rallies in 2014 to win democratic reform has sparked a new wave of “localist” activists, keen to emphasize Hong Kong’s own identity, with some calling for a full split from the mainland.
Since the return to China in 1997, the city has been governed under a “one country, two systems” deal that gives it rights unseen on the mainland, including freedom of speech and an independent judiciary.
But there are now concerns Beijing is trampling the agreement by interfering in a range of areas, from politics to education and media.
“Xi Jinping’s visit is a great chance for us to protest against him,” retired primary school teacher Law Sui-Yung, 63, told Reuters.
“In recent years, especially after he took office, Hong Kong has seriously deteriorated into one of the mainland (Chinese) cities,” she added.
Party atmosphere
Although young activists have promised to continue protesting during Xi‘s visit, other residents said they would celebrate his trip to Hong Kong.
Stages were set up in squares opposite the convention center for music and dancing with excited crowds gathering ahead of his arrival.
“It should be an honor to get the number one person in China to come to a very small city,” said one 38-year-old man at the gathering who gave his name to AFP as Mr. Fan.
“He’s offered three days to Hong Kong — it’s a luxury,” he added, saying that things were better in the city than under British rule.
Xi‘s visit will culminate in the inauguration of new city leader Carrie Lam, who was appointed by a pro-China committee.
She has promised to heal divisions but has already alarmed critics by saying children should be instilled with Chinese identity from a young age and suggesting that independence activists could face punishment under the law.
A Beijing-backed framework for what would have been the city’s first public leadership election sparked the protests of 2014 after it said candidates must be vetted.
Since then, the debate on promised democratic reforms has stalled with Lam saying she is unsure the time is right to revisit it.
Lam has said she wants to focus on livelihood issues instead, in a city where the wealth gap is at a record high and many cannot afford decent housing, fueling tensions.
Xi is due to fly out of Hong Kong on Saturday, after Lam’s inauguration.
Words: AFP with reporting from Reuters
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