Xi hails Hong Kong's autonomy but with a major caveat: Beijing has final say.
July 01, 2022, 5:35 AMHONG KONG, CHINA - JULY 01: A man holding a child walks in front of a screen showing a live broadcast of Chinese President Xi Jinping speaking during a swearing-in ceremony for Hong Kong's new chief executive John Lee, on July 01, 2022 in Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong celebrates the 25th anniversary of its handover from Britain to China on July 1.
Also marking the occasion, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a video statement on Twitter saying, "We made a promise to the territory and its people and we intend to keep it, doing all we can to hold China to its commitment” In Xi’s view, the Chinese government is fulfilling its obligations in allowing the former British colony to choose its path and thrive economically, if not politically, over the past quarter century.
The Chinese government has long believed that the vast chasm of economic inequality in the city, exacerbated by unaffordable housing costs, was the chief reason for popular discontent which, in Beijing's telling of events, were then exploited by “foreign forces” to foment anti-government protests.“Hong Kong cannot afford more chaos,” Xi told the newly inaugurated administration led by Hong Kong’s former security official John Lee.
“The major issue for John Lee is to deliver better housing and relieve economic inequality and poverty and if possible, find new engines for economic growth,” David Zweig, Professor Emeritus at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, told ABC News. HONG KONG, CHINA - JULY 01: A man holding a child walks in front of a screen showing a live broadcast of Chinese President Xi Jinping speaking during a swearing-in ceremony for Hong Kong's new chief executive John Lee, on July 01, 2022 in Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong celebrates the 25th anniversary of its handover from Britain to China on July 1.“John Lee and Beijing, having established an authoritarian regime, must deliver on the core economic issues,” Zweig told ABC News.
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