Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to “ensure that One Country, Two Systems can be upheld” after arriving in Hong Kong amid heightened fears that Beijing is encroaching on the autonomy and freedoms guaranteed to the territory until 2047.
“I hope all sectors of Hong Kong could work together to learn from experiences and plan for the future, to ensure that One Country, Two Systems can be upheld,” he said, after a highly choreographed arrival at Hong Kong airport on Thursday for a three-day visit to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the handover of the former British colony.
After descending in his official Air China Boeing 747, he was greeted by Hong Kong leaders and a gaggle of schoolchildren waving Chinese and Hong Kong flags and chanting “welcome, welcome”.