HONG KONG (AP) — Questions proceed to circle over whether or not Chinese language chief Xi Jinping will attend the twenty fifth yr anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese language rule and the inauguration of of the territory’s new chief.
China’s official Xinhua Information Company mentioned Xi would take part within the July 1 commemorations however wasn’t express on whether or not he would journey to the town.
As with most issues in regards to the ruling Communist Social gathering, the journey plans of prime leaders are typically stored secret. Nevertheless, Xi has not traveled outdoors mainland China all through the COVID-19 pandemic.
China has caught to its “zero-COVID” technique of eliminating outbreaks fully by mass testing the inhabitants and locking down buildings, neighborhoods or complete cities for weeks at a time. Hong Kong is seeing infections rise once more lately after a flood of instances earlier this yr threatened to overwhelm its hospitals.
Whereas the Hong Kong commemorations are purely symbolic, they’ll embrace the set up Friday of former safety chief John Lee, who led a harsh crackdown on 2019 pro-democracy protests, as the town’s chief government.
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Because the protests, Beijing has imposed a nationwide safety legislation that has jailed, silenced or exiled Hong Kong political activists; curtailed freedoms of expression and meeting; and eliminated or disqualified individuals from public workplace if they’re deemed unpatriotic.
In 2017, Xi gave a speech on the twentieth anniversary commemorations during which he pledged the central authorities would take a hardline towards any challenges to its authority.
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