Hong Kong marks 25th anniversary of its return to China. Flag-raising ceremony

A #flagraising ceremony was held in Hong Kong at 8 a.m. Friday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its return to China. [ CGTN]
---
Xi Jinping of China on Friday oversaw closely choreographed #celebration to mark the 25th #anniversary of the former #Britishcolony ’s handover to Beijing amid a massive security presence.

Hong Kong’s new chief executive, John Lee, watched as helicopters flew over the Chinese and Hong Kong #flags . A flotilla sprayed columns of water as soldiers raised both flags.

Xi did not attend this ceremony, local media reported, spending the night in the neighboring #mainland city of Shenzhen. She was back in town for the #inauguration of the new Lee government.

“After rejoining the motherland, the people of Hong Kong became masters of their own city,” Xi said at the ceremony. “Hong Kong’s true #democracy started here.”

Arriving in Hong Kong a day earlier on a high-speed train, Xi said: “After the storms, Hong Kong was reborn from the fire and emerged with robust vitality.”

This was his first trip outside mainland China since the start of the #covid #pandemic and his first to #hongkong since 2017, when he last participated in the July 1 celebrations. [AP]
--
* Britain returned Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997