China’s Xi To Visit Hong Kong On Handover Anniversary

BEIJING (AP) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit Hong Kong to celebrate next week’s 25th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to China following a crackdown on a pro-democracy movement that has inflamed tension with Washington and Europe. The official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday Xi will attend an anniversary gathering and the first meeting of the territory’s new government. Xi has avoided trips outside the Chinese mainland since the start of the coronavirus pandemic 2 1/2 years ago. His decision to go to Hong Kong reflects the anniversary’s historical importance in the ruling party’s eyes and to the image Xi is trying to construct for himself as leader of a “national rejuvenation.”