Xi Jinping will make his first trip outside of mainland China since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Hong Kong chief executive John Lee.
The President of China will be with Lee when former security minister and the police took over leadership of the Hong Kong government from Carrie Lam on July 1.
On Saturday, state media outlet Xinhua confirmed Xi’s attendance after speculation that he would skip Lee’s signing ceremony because of the rise in coronavirus cases in the city.
Mr. Xi has avoided any travel that could put him at risk of contracting the virus. He has not left China since January 2020, when he arrived in Myanmar on a state visit just days before Wuhan, where the virus was first detected, went into lockdown.
China is the only major global economy adamantly maintaining a strict no-Covid stance, leaving the country increasingly isolated as the rest of the world adapts to living with the virus. Mr. Xi has participated in important summits around the world, including the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow last September, via video link.
The fact that Xi chose Lee’s oath of office to mark his first trip outside of mainland China underscores the political significance of the event, which also falls on the 25th anniversary of the The handover of Hong Kong from England to China.
This year marks the halfway mark of 50 years of “one country, two systems” autonomy that Beijing guarantees Hong Kong, which critics say has been undermined through political interference. growing Chinese into this city.
The 1 July 2019 celebration was marked by mass protests as protesters stormed the city’s legislature to protest against China’s influence over Hong Kong.
The city has changed dramatically since the summer of protests that rocked the financial hub, triggering a harsh crackdown on civic and political life in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy politicians, activists and journalists have been rounded up and prosecuted by authorities under a vague national security law imposed by Beijing two years ago.
Xi’s visit will mark his first visit to Hong Kong since the outbreak of protests.
This announcement coincides with an increase in coronavirus infections in the Chinese territory following the appearance of the sub-variant Omicron BA.2.12.1. The city reported 1,860 cases of infection on Friday.
The city government has re-applied the controversial measure of forcing Covid patients and their close contacts into centralized isolation to limit the spread of the virus.
Hong Kong officials and lawmakers attending the ceremony will quarantine before the swearing-in ceremony to shield the Chinese President from infection.
