China’s president swore in Hong Kong’s new leader at a ceremony marking 25 years since the end of British rule.
Xi Jinping has vowed to retain Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” model as he defended his security crackdown on the former British colony and swore in the city’s new leader at“The city cannot afford to descend into chaos,” China’s president said on Friday during a rare visit to Hong Kong in a veiled reference to pro-democracy protests which disrupted life in the city for six months in 2019.Hong Kong’s new Chief Executive John Lee with China’s President Xi Jinping.
Hong Kong’s new leader John Lee, a former policeman who led the crackdown against protesters in 2019, and his new ministers and advisers were sworn in on Friday at a ceremony in an entertainment centre on the city’s foreshore. The venue was surrounded by thousands of police and security barriers, while airspace around the harbour was closed off.
“Australia remains deeply concerned by the continuing erosion of Hong Kong’s rights, freedoms and autonomy, two years since the imposition of the national security law,” Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday.Experts said China would maintain a tight grip on the city to avoid further demonstrations, but still valued Hong Kong’s status as an international finance hub which acted as a bridge between the mainland and the rest of the world.
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