HONG KONG — Chinese leader Xi Jinping presided Friday over tightly choreographed celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain, with once annual demonstrations silenced and a massive security presence in force. “After the storms, Hong Kong has been reborn from the fire and emerged with robust vitality,” Xi said upon arriving by high-speed train on Thursday afternoon. But Xi insisted Thursday that One Country Two Systems would guarantee “long-term stability and prosperity in Hong Kong”. The centerpiece is a huge Chinese national flag sided with a slightly smaller Hong Kong flag, each occupying half of a soccer pitch. “It’s clear that the hands of interference of those anti-China forces who scheme to destabilize Hong Kong have been cut off by the national security law for Hong Kong,” said an editorial in the state-run tabloid Global Times.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 01, 2022 03:04 UTC