(Hong Kong) A massive security effort was deployed in Hong Kong on Thursday ahead of the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping for celebrations marking the 25e anniversary of the city’s return to communist China.
Posted yesterday at 11:35 p.m.
Government leaders were forced into a closed-loop system, parts of the city were locked down and many journalists were barred from Friday’s events, illustrating the Communist Party’s control over the city after a wave of political repression that dismantled the democratic movement and crushed dissent.
Details of the trip, Xi’s first outside mainland China since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, have been kept under wraps, but he is expected to make appearances in Hong Kong on Thursday and Friday.
The Chinese leader, however, is likely to spend the night in the nearby mainland city of Shenzhen, according to local media.
People who will be in Xi’s orbit during his trip, including top government officials, have been told to limit contact, undergo daily PCR tests and spend the days leading up to the visit in a quarantine hotel.
“As a security measure, if we have to meet the supreme leader and other leaders closely, I think it is worth making closed-circuit arrangements,” the pro-Beijing politician told AFP. Regina IP.
Authorities have taken steps to eliminate any potential sources of embarrassment during Xi Jinping’s stay in the city, and national security police arrested at least nine people last week.
The League of Social Democrats, one of Hong Kong’s last remaining opposition groups, said it would not demonstrate on 1er July, after an exchange between national security agents and volunteers associated with the group.
And Hong Kong’s leading pollster said it would delay releasing the results of a government popularity survey “in response to suggestions from relevant government departments after their risk assessment”.
The anniversary of the handover has long been the occasion for large peaceful protests on city streets, but under the combined effect of health restrictions and a crackdown on dissent, mass gatherings have all but disappeared in Hong Kong. these last years.
“Security Reasons”
Media coverage of Xi Jinping’s visit was strictly limited. On Wednesday, AFP confirmed that 13 local and international journalists had been denied accreditation to cover the handover celebrations.
Two AFP journalists were among those denied accreditation, a government official citing unspecified “security reasons”. A third AFP reporter then obtained accreditation.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association expressed its “deep regret” at the rejections.
The government told the media that the decision was “a balance, as far as possible, between the needs of media work and security requirements”.
Some sites in the financial center were also closed, including the high-speed train terminus, a Chinese opera performance venue and the Hong Kong Science Park.
A number of science park workers told AFP they had not received any notification of the Chinese president’s visit, but were asked to work from home on Thursday.
Authorities have also sought to project an image of public support, including by mass-firing Hong Kong and Chinese flags in dozens of housing estates.
“It’s useless and it’s too much,” said Chan, 26, who lives in one of these social housing units where small flags have been placed on each floor in one of the stairwells.