John Lee used to be sworn in on Friday as Hong Kong’s next chief, opening a brand recent chapter for the worn British colony as it marked 25 years since its return to Chinese rule.
The ceremony used to be overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who travelled to Hong Kong on Thursday in his first outing outdoors mainland China since the pandemic started.
In his inaugural tackle, Lee promised to resolve Hong Kong’s considerations one after the other whereas promoting town’s image in a international country.
Lee, a worn security chief, faces the now not easy process of restoring the worldwide monetary centre’s reputation after about a of the field’s longest-lasting COVID-19 restrictions and a draconian national security guidelines pushed Hong Kongers and expatriates alike to leave in droves.
Lee, no doubt one of quite a lot of prime Hong Kong officers sanctioned by the US over the Chinese territory’s declining autonomy and freedoms, said the guidelines and recent vetting guidelines in Hong Kong elections had allowed town to emerge from “chaos to prosperity”.
Following Lee’s swearing in, Xi spoke about Hong Kong’s future as a city bustle by “patriots”.
“The regime desires to be in the palms of patriots,” Xi said, in response to native media. “There’s no one in the field who would allow outsiders, betrayers or even traitors to gain eradicate of political power.”
Xi said that whereas Beijing has “complete jurisdiction” over Hong Kong, it has furthermore protected the territory’s autotomy below the “one country, two systems” diagram town used to be promised till 2047.
Xi furthermore addressed Hong Kong’s long-running considerations with inequality, which about a of its leaders blamed because the source of discontent in the assist of mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Hong Kong’s wealth inequality is on par with southern Africa, in response to the Gini coefficient, a typical metric of inequality.
“We desires to be pragmatic and promising, are residing up to the other folks, decide the expectations of the total society, especially new citizens, because the largest pursuit of governance, and decide bolder and extra unbiased appropriate measures to beat difficulties,” Xi said, in response to native media.
Xi furthermore said the “city can’t come up with the money for to descend into chaos” any other time, relating to the at times violent demonstrations that gripped town in 2019.
Strict social distancing measures had been in predicament for the ceremony, which furthermore marked the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, and attendees had been required to quarantine in hotels earlier this week whereas furthermore present process daily COVID assessments.
Signs proclaiming a brand recent technology of “steadiness, prosperity, and opportunity” had been erected around Hong Kong for the occasion, however celebrations had been muted attributable to heavy security, dejected weather and the perception among many residents that town is shedding its scuttle means of lifestyles attributable to Beijing’s crackdown on dissent.
Below the terms of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997, Beijing agreed to grant town a high stage of autonomy and rights and freedoms now not came all the way in which thru on the Chinese mainland for at the least 50 years after the handover.
But since the imposition of a draconian national security guidelines in June 2020, authorities hold practically wiped out town’s once boisterous pro-democracy movement and compelled the closure of dozens of civil society organisations and media outlets.
In years previous, July 1 observed gigantic demonstrations by Hong Kongers protesting against infringements on their political rights and autonomy by Beijing.
This year marks the first time no public actions will likely be held, following a equal ban on events to label the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4.
Nationwide security police arrested 9 other folks over the last week and searched the properties of individuals of the League of Social Democrats, no doubt one of Hong Kong’s few closing opposition groups.
The group used to be furthermore suggested by police now not to affirm and its individuals hold reportedly been followed.
The crackdown is anticipated to continue below Lee, no doubt one of quite a lot of Hong Kong officers sanctioned by the US for undermining town’s autonomy and democratic rights.
As Hong Kong’s worn security chief, Lee has been instrumental in the crackdown on opposition figures. His upcoming cabinet entails four diverse high-rating officers below sanctions.
Lee is anticipated to introduce extra guidelines to curb dissent in Hong Kong, along with a native national security guidelines.
On Thursday, British Top Minister Boris Johnson lamented the changes that hold taken predicament in town.
“We made a promise to the territory and its other folks and we intend to eradicate it, doing all we are in a position to to eradicate China to its commitments,” he said.
Within the US, Secretary of Insist Antony Blinken expressed considerations over the “erosion of autonomy” in town, announcing: “We stand in team spirit with other folks in Hong Kong and give a dangle to their calls for his or her promised freedoms to be reinstated.”
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Al Jazeera and files companies