After Xi Jinping began his first visit to the city since 2017, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Beijing had failed to honor the “one country, two systems” agreement agreed under the agreement. which ended British colonial rule in 1997. Promising not to “give up” Hong Kong, Johnson said: “It is a state of affairs that threatens both the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong and the continued progress and prosperity of their home.” Blinken said Friday was supposed to be halfway to the 50 years of promised autonomy under one country, two systems, “but it is now clear that the Hong Kong and Beijing authorities no longer consider democratic participation, fundamental freedoms and independent media as part of that vision. “ “The authorities have imprisoned the opposition … they have raided independent media outlets … they have weakened democratic institutions, they have delayed elections,” Blinken said. “They have done all this in an effort to deprive Hong Kong of what it has been promised.” Stating that a strict security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing in 2020 had led to “erosion of autonomy”, he said: “We stand in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong and step up their calls for the restoration of the promised freedoms.” On Thursday, Xi told the crowd in Hong Kong – during a highly choreographed visit where opportunities for disagreement have been stifled and media coverage has been severely curtailed – that the area had “risen from the ashes”. “My heart and the heart of the central government was with our compatriots in Hong Kong,” he was quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post. “In recent years, Hong Kong has gone through a number of serious challenges one after another and has overcome them. “After the wind and the rain, Hong Kong emerged from the ashes and showed intense vitality. “If we adhere to the ‘one country, two systems’ framework, Hong Kong will certainly have a bright future and make new and greater contributions to the great revitalization of the Chinese people,” he said. On Friday, Xi will be sworn in as the next chief executive of the country, John Lee, a former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. The day began with a flag-raising ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. The short ceremony lasted about 20 minutes and took place amid a hurricane warning. While Hong Kong activists have gathered outside the flag-raising ceremony in the past, they have been warned by national security police not to protest this year. Xi did not attend the flag-raising event, with media reporting that he stayed overnight across the border in Shenzhen after arriving in Hong Kong on Thursday. He will return to the financial center early Friday for the swearing-in. A woman pushes a pram as she passes a police checkpoint outside West Kowloon High Speed Railway Station before the arrival of President Xi Jinping Photo: Anthony Kwan / Getty Images Lee has pledged to unite the city for “a new chapter,” and promised an even more aggressive approach to tackling “phobic and bad expression” by critics. Johnson said he would seek to keep China in its commitments so that Hong Kong would be “ruled again by the people of Hong Kong, for the people of Hong Kong.” He said Britain’s immigration route for holders of British national (overseas) passports had attracted 120,000 applications last year. British Foreign Secretary Liz Tras reiterated Johnson’s comments, saying: “The authorities have stifled opposition, criminalized dissent and expelled anyone who can tell the truth to the authorities. “The United Kingdom’s historic commitment to Hong Kong and its people remains. That is why we continue to challenge China for violating its legally binding commitments under the Joint Declaration. “We invoked their behavior on the world stage and stood with our G7 partners in condemning the persistent erosion of political and civil rights and the autonomy of Hong Kong.” Australia has also criticized China for restricting human rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. “Australia remains deeply concerned about the continuing erosion of Hong Kong’s rights, freedoms and autonomy, two years after the enactment of the National Security Act,” said Secretary of State Penny Wong.
