Xi’s Hong Kong visit marks its new era under Beijing’s control
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Even before he set foot in Hong Kong, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s intent was clear: to usher in the city’s next chapter under the firm grip of Communist Party rule.
In his first trip out of the mainland since the pandemic began, Xi arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its handover from Britain and to attend the swearing-in of incoming Chief Executive John Lee on Friday. Xi’s presence amounted to a declaration of confidence in the city’s stability after years of COVID-19, political protests and a subsequent crackdown on dissent.
It was also a moment for Xi to further cement his position as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, months before he is expected to break with the norms of the post-Mao era and secure a third term as president. Many believe he will not stop there.
Stepping off the highspeed train at Hong Kong’s West Kowloon station, Xi and his wife were greeted by officials and masked schoolchildren who chanted warm welcomes and waved flowers and Chinese and Hong Kong flags.
As the couple made their way across the winding red carpet to a marching band’s tune, other attendees held up long red banners hailing their arrival and swayed under lion dance costumes. Around the station, anniversary decorations proclaimed: “A new era. Stability. Prosperity. Opportunity.”
“The symbolism says a lot,” said Minxin Pei, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. “This is an opportunity to show that he’s in charge.”
The Chinese leader has returned to a vastly different Hong Kong compared with his last time in the city five years ago. In 2019, the city was rocked by widespread protests over a bill that would expand Beijing’s legal jurisdiction in the former British colony. Then COVID-19 broke out, restricting travel and gatherings. As contentious clashes between police and protesters dwindled, Beijing implemented a national security law that saw hundreds of protesters, journalists, politicians and jailed, while others fled abroad.
The measures have effectively hastened Hong Kong’s 50-year transition to complete Chinese rule, a period during which the city was meant to retain a high level of autonomy and democratic freedom under the “one country, two systems” model formulated by the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. In a short speech upon arrival, Xi declared Hong Kong a testament to the principle’s success.
“Hong Kong has withstood test after rigorous test, prevailing over every risk and challenge,” he said. “After this experience, Hong Kong rises from the ashes, showing vigor and vitality . ... As long as we unwaveringly uphold ‘one country, two systems,’ Hong Kong will surely have an even brighter future.”
But critics inside and outside the city argue the opposite, saying that “one country, two systems” has essentially been jettisoned by Beijing, despite its signed agreement with Britain.
“Hong Kong is now for all intents and purposes just another Chinese city,” Pei said.
This year is of extreme political importance to Xi, whom China’s National Party Congress is expected to grant another presidential term in the fall. By quelling the unrest in Hong Kong and installing an unequivocally pro-Beijing regime, he has made strides in one of his key priorities: the reunification of the Chinese “motherland” and territories it considers its own.
That also includes Taiwan, another target of Deng’s split-rule model. Xi has called more forcefully for reunification with the self-governed island, even though its ruling political party, along with a majority of Taiwanese citizens, oppose unification and mainland aggression, leading to increased cross-strait frictions and concerns that Beijing may try to achieve its goal militarily.
“Beijing’s presence in Hong Kong will only reinforce those views in Taiwan,” said Ja Ian Chong, associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. “Beijing can make promises, such as allowing Hong Kong to have its own system and democracy, but ultimately is quite ready to take them away.”