President’s stern warning for opposition in HK
HONGKONG: Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, evoked his country’s ‘‘humiliation’’ at the hands of British imperialists at the weekend, as he warned against ‘‘impermissible’’ challenges to Beijing’s authority over Hong Kong.
Xi was speaking in the former British colony on the 20th anniversary of its return to China, as thousands of people gathered for a mass demonstration against Beijing’s tightening grip in the city.
In a sweeping speech which saw the Chinese leader warn opponents in Hong Kong not to cross a ‘‘red line’’, Xi recalled how British victory in the First Opium War of 1839-42 - in which Hong Kong Island was ceded to the UK set in motion decades of humiliation for China.
‘‘After the Opium War, China has been repeatedly defeated by countries which were smaller and less populous,’’ Xi said, after swearing in Carrie Lam, the new leader of Hong Kong, at a venue only yards from where former governor Chris Patten tearfully handed back the territory in 1997.
Xi also said Hong Kong should do more to boost ‘‘patriotic education’’, which has been opposed by local residents who fear losing their identity.
The Chinese president was speaking at the end of a three-day visit to Hong Kong, a city which has freedoms that are not enjoyed on the mainland under a principle known as ‘‘one country, two systems’’.
Campaigners believe such rights are being eroded by China. The city’s colourful grassroots political scene was on show on the streets around Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay area before the march set off from the nearby Victoria Park. Among the most obscure groups seeking support was the Hong Kong-UK Reunification Campaign, which is seeking to ‘‘urge the UK to resume British sovereignty over Hong Kong.’’
Many of the marchers held yellow umbrellas, a symbol of mass protests in 2014 which brought the city to a standstill.
Other marchers carried placards with slogans branding Lam, Hong Kong’s new chief executive, a Communist Party stooge, or similar insulting posters featuring the city’s outgoing leader, CY Leung.
The Chinese president had a stern warning towards those expressing opposition to Beijing’s rule.
‘‘Any attempt to endanger China’s sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government ... or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage against the mainland is an act that crosses the red line and is absolutely impermissible,’’ Xi said.
- Telegraph Group