In the nearly 900 days since Xi last left the mainland on January 17, 2020, his diplomatic activities have been limited to virtual summits and video conferences, with particular emphasis on his trip to Hong Kong. Xi arrived in the city on Thursday afternoon on a high-speed train from the Chinese border town of Shenzhen, where he was met by a large crowd waving national flags and shouting together: “Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome.” They then led him to a red carpet as they played colorful lion dancers, amplifying the noise of drums, chants and trumpets. Xi was first greeted by outgoing Hong Kong CEO Kari Lam and her top officials. After exchanging a few words, Xi and his delegation slowly crossed the station, waving to the crowd and talking to other officials present. “It’s been more than five years since my last visit to Hong Kong. For the past five years, I’ve been paying close attention to Hong Kong and caring about it,” Xi said in a brief speech. “In recent years, Hong Kong has endured one severe ordeal after another, overcoming one danger and one challenge after another. After overcoming the storms, Hong Kong has emerged from the ashes with great vitality.”
Leaving the Covid bubble
Xi’s arrival coincides with forecasts for a hurricane that will bring strong winds and rain and comes after weeks of uncertainty as to whether it would risk leaving the severe zero-bubble Covid of mainland China to travel to a city it now reports more than 1,000 new Covid cases a day. Under Xi, China is isolated from the world in pursuit of a zero-tolerance approach to the virus with the country’s international borders closed and travel severely restricted. Xi confirmed the policy on Wednesday during a symbolic visit to Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the virus first appeared in late 2019, saying he would rather “temporarily sacrifice some economic growth” than “harm the human health “, according to state news. Xinhua agency. “If we take into account the total costs and benefits, our policies for Covid are the most economical and effective,” Xi said, adding that China had the opportunity to continue its approach to zero Covid “until the final victory”. While Hong Kong has been heavily influenced by Beijing’s incompatible health policies, strict quarantine and border controls, and social distancing measures, it has so far avoided the type of extended city-wide blockades or mandatory mass trials observed in mainland cities such as Shanghai and Xi’an. Prior to Xi’s visit, Hong Kong imposed a series of restrictions on Covid. Since last week, top officials have been banned from attending public events and have been restricted to using private vehicles while traveling. They have also undergone daily tests for Covid and are due to spend Thursday night at a hotel in quarantine before Friday’s delivery ceremony.
Arriving in a changed city
The last time Xi visited Hong Kong to honor the tradition was in 2017, for the 20th anniversary, when he met with streets full of pro-democracy protesters. But no demonstrations are expected this year. Most of Hong Kong pro-democracy groups disbanded after the city’s sweeping national security law was passed two years ago. A subsequent crackdown has led to almost all of Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy figures, including activists and politicians, being imprisoned or forced into exile. None of the remaining organizations have applied for permits to hold peaceful demonstrations during Xi’s trip, according to police. The League of Social Democrats, one of the few surviving pro-democracy political parties, has said it will not hold any protests after several members met with national security police. The Hong Kong government has repeatedly defended the national security law, saying it has restored order in the city, which has been rocked by pro-democracy, anti-government protests in 2019.
Closed spaces, no-fly zone
Without risk, police have stepped up security and closed areas near key areas. Pedestrian bridges, highways and a train station in some of Hong Kong’s busiest areas are temporarily closed for Thursday and Friday. A no-fly zone has also been established throughout the city port, with limited drone use throughout Xi’s visit. Authorities have also severely restricted media access to tradition celebrations, far removed from the open reference environment and free local press of recent years. According to the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), at least 10 journalists working for local and international organizations have had their applications rejected for “security reasons”. “With the media unable to send journalists to the ground, the HKJA regrets the strict reporting arrangements made by the authorities for such an important event,” the press team said on Tuesday. CNN’s Kathleen Magramo contributed to the report.
title: “Xi Jinping Leaves Mainland China For First Time Since Pandemic " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-27” author: “Jesse Miller”
In the nearly 900 days since Xi last left the mainland on January 17, 2020, his diplomatic activities have been limited to virtual summits and video conferences, with particular emphasis on his trip to Hong Kong. Xi arrived in the city on Thursday afternoon on a high-speed train from the Chinese border town of Shenzhen, where he was met by a large crowd waving national flags and shouting together: “Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome.” They then led him to a red carpet as they played colorful lion dancers, amplifying the noise of drums, chants and trumpets. Xi was first greeted by outgoing Hong Kong CEO Kari Lam and her top officials. After exchanging a few words, Xi and his delegation slowly crossed the station, waving to the crowd and talking to other officials present. “It’s been more than five years since my last visit to Hong Kong. For the past five years, I’ve been paying close attention to Hong Kong and caring about it,” Xi said in a brief speech. “In recent years, Hong Kong has endured one severe ordeal after another, overcoming one danger and one challenge after another. After overcoming the storms, Hong Kong has emerged from the ashes with great vitality.”
Leaving the Covid bubble
Xi’s arrival coincides with forecasts for a hurricane that will bring strong winds and rain and comes after weeks of uncertainty as to whether it would risk leaving the severe zero-bubble Covid of mainland China to travel to a city it now reports more than 1,000 new Covid cases a day. Under Xi, China is isolated from the world in pursuit of a zero-tolerance approach to the virus with the country’s international borders closed and travel severely restricted. Xi confirmed the policy on Wednesday during a symbolic visit to Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the virus first appeared in late 2019, saying he would rather “temporarily sacrifice some economic growth” than “harm the human health “, according to state news. Xinhua agency. “If we take into account the total costs and benefits, our policies for Covid are the most economical and effective,” Xi said, adding that China had the opportunity to continue its approach to zero Covid “until the final victory”. While Hong Kong has been heavily influenced by Beijing’s incompatible health policies, strict quarantine and border controls, and social distancing measures, it has so far avoided the type of extended city-wide blockades or mandatory mass trials observed in mainland cities such as Shanghai and Xi’an. Prior to Xi’s visit, Hong Kong imposed a series of restrictions on Covid. Since last week, top officials have been banned from attending public events and have been restricted to using private vehicles while traveling. They have also undergone daily tests for Covid and are due to spend Thursday night at a hotel in quarantine before Friday’s delivery ceremony.
Arriving in a changed city
The last time Xi visited Hong Kong to honor the tradition was in 2017, for the 20th anniversary, when he met with streets full of pro-democracy protesters. But no demonstrations are expected this year. Most of Hong Kong pro-democracy groups disbanded after the city’s sweeping national security law was passed two years ago. A subsequent crackdown has led to almost all of Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy figures, including activists and politicians, being imprisoned or forced into exile. None of the remaining organizations have applied for permits to hold peaceful demonstrations during Xi’s trip, according to police. The League of Social Democrats, one of the few surviving pro-democracy political parties, has said it will not hold any protests after several members met with national security police. The Hong Kong government has repeatedly defended the national security law, saying it has restored order in the city, which has been rocked by pro-democracy, anti-government protests in 2019.
Closed spaces, no-fly zone
Without risk, police have stepped up security and closed areas near key areas. Pedestrian bridges, highways and a train station in some of Hong Kong’s busiest areas are temporarily closed for Thursday and Friday. A no-fly zone has also been established throughout the city port, with limited drone use throughout Xi’s visit. Authorities have also severely restricted media access to tradition celebrations, far removed from the open reference environment and free local press of recent years. According to the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), at least 10 journalists working for local and international organizations have had their applications rejected for “security reasons”. “With the media unable to send journalists to the ground, the HKJA regrets the strict reporting arrangements made by the authorities for such an important event,” the press team said on Tuesday. CNN’s Kathleen Magramo contributed to the report.
