Xi Jinping visits Hong Kong on 25th anniversary of handover from Britain

Chinese President Xi Jinping heralded the success of Beijing’s “one country, two systems” policy with Hong Kong, rejecting criticism of his crackdown on its pro-democracy movement as he commemorated the 25-year anniversary of its return to Chinese control on Friday.

Xi made the statements shortly before swearing in new Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, who oversaw the brutal suppression of mass pro-democracy protests in 2019 as Secretary of Security.

Beijing implemented a national security law in 2020, which its Hong Kong allies used to arrest activists, quash independent media and reorganize the government to favor Beijing loyalists.

Xi reframed the recent crackdowns on protests and media as Hong Kong putting “an end to chaos and violence,” declaring that the territory would “break new ground and take a new leap forward” in the next five years.

He also emphasized that Hong Kong would be most prosperous and stable if “patriots were in charge.”

"It is a universal rule in the world that political power must be in the hands of patriots. No country or region in the world will allow unpatriotic or even traitorous or treasonous forces and figures to seize power," Xi said, who has maintained that democracy’s popularity in the territory was a result of Western propaganda.

Hong Kong was previously a colony of the U.K., who handed it back over to China in 1997 after its 99-year lease ended. Beijing considers it a special administrative region. 

The ceremony came during Xi’s two day trip to the territory – his first trip there since the 2020 security law was passed.

During his speech, Xi called Hong Kong’s new government “true democracy,” a term the Chinese Communist Party attempted to redefine last year as a system where “the elected are capable to improve governance.”

A leading E.U. policymaker called the new democracy “that propaganda crap.”

Lee promised to take a ‘can-do’ attitude toward Hong Kong’s problems and that he “won’t let President Xi down,” reports the South China Morning Post.