HK 'risen from ashes' - China's Xi says on visit
STORY: Hong Kong has overcome its challenges and "risen from the ashes".
That was the verdict of China's President Xi Jinping on Thursday (June 30), as he visited the former British colony to celebrate 25 years since its return to Chinese rule.
Xi will swear in the global financial hub's new leader, John Lee, on Friday (July 1), during his first visit to the city since 2017.
It's also his first known trip outside the mainland in more than two years, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the past few years, Hong Kong has withstood severe tests again and again, overcoming risks and challenges one by one. After the wind and rain, Hong Kong has risen from the ashes, and also demonstrated a high level of vigour and vitality."
Some analysts see Xi's visit as a victory tour after Beijing tightened its control of Hong Kong with a sweeping national security law after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Outgoing city leader Carrie Lam and her husband were among those who welcomed Xi.
While tens of thousands of demonstrators marched during Xi's visit five years ago, no protests are expected this time because of the city's heightened security.
And the fact that most outspoken opposition politicians and democracy activists are either in jail or self-exile.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule under a "one country, two systems" formula meant to preserve its freedoms.
Critics say they've been eroded as Beijing exerts control.
Beijing and Hong Kong's government reject that and say they've "restored order from chaos" so that the city can prosper.
