President Xi Jinping will attend celebrations next week to mark the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the swearing-in of the next chief executive and other principal officials, Xinhua has reported today.
The Xinhua report did not say whether the president will actually visit Hong Kong or will attend events virtually. Outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and her successor John Lee Ka-chiu both welcomed the news.
"President Xi Jinping will attend a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland," the report stated, adding that Xi will also attend the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Lam said in a statement that the announcement shows the central government's support for Hong Kong and the importance it attaches to the city.
For his part, Lee said Xi's attendance was meaningful as Hong Kong is at a critical juncture in transitioning from "chaos to order" and towards "governance and prosperity."
Xi last visited Hong Kong back in 2017 for Lam's inauguration. His actual attendance this time around has been in doubt as local COVID-19 infections have been rising and two top officials who will join the next administration have tested positive in recent days.
Officials and guests who have been invited to attend the ceremony are required to undergo daily PCR tests in the lead-up to the event and stay at a quarantine hotel the night before it.
Hong Kong returned to the motherland on July 1997. Macau's reversion took pace on December 20, 1999.
Hong Kong's sole deputy to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, Tam Yiu-chung, said it was "very good" that Xi will attend the events, but he added that the "fluctuating" pandemic situation was the reason that Xinhua had not spelt out whether he would come in person. Much would depend, he said, on whether the control measures in place are adequate.
The vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, Lau Siu-kai, said that "based on common sense" he believes that the president will come to Hong Kong and deliver a keynote speech.
– RTHK, MPD
Caption: President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Youth League of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 10, 2022.
