Prior to Xi Jinping's anticipated visit, Hong Kong is on high alert
Prior to Xi Jinping's anticipated visit, Hong Kong is on high alert
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A significant security effort is underway in anticipation of the celebrations honouring the 25th anniversary of the handover of the city to communist China since Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Hong Kong on Thursday.

After a political crackdown that destroyed a democracy movement and stifled dissent, the government has been forced into a closed-loop system, parts of the city have been shut down, and several journalists have been denied access to events on Friday that will highlight the Communist Party’s control over the city.

Details of the trip, which will be Xi’s first outside of mainland China since the Covid-19 outbreak started, have not been made public, but he is anticipated to make appearances in Hong Kong on Thursday and Friday.

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However, local media reports that the Chinese president would probably spend the night in the nearby mainland city of Shenzhen.

In the days preceding the visit, those within Xi’s sphere of influence, including the highest-ranking government officials, have been ordered to limit their social interactions, submit to daily PCR tests, and stay in a quarantine hotel.

“To be safe, I think it is worthwhile to get into the closed-loop procedures if we are going to meet the paramount leader and other leaders in close quarters,” senior pro-Beijing legislator Regina Ip told AFP.

National security officers have made at least nine arrests in the previous week as part of the government’s effort to get rid of any embarrassing situations that might arise during Xi’s visit to the city.

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One of Hong Kong’s few remaining opposition organisations, the League of Social Democrats, said that it would not hold a protest on July 1 after speaking with volunteers for the party.

The major polling organisation in Hong Kong also declared that it will postpone the release of the findings of a poll measuring public support for the administration “in response to advice from relevant government agencies after their risk assessment.”

Tens of thousands have historically gathered on the streets of Hong Kong for nonviolent marches to commemorate the anniversary of the handover on July 1.

However, due to a combination of coronavirus limitations and a security crackdown intended to crush any public dissent to China’s resolute control over the city, large-scale rallies have all but disappeared in Hong Kong during the past few years.

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Manifestation of patriotism

The government has prohibited some journalists from covering the events surrounding Xi’s visit, and authorities have severely limited media coverage of it.

As of Wednesday, AFP has reported that 13 local and foreign journalists were denied credentials to cover the handover festivities.

A government source gave vague “security considerations” as to why two AFP journalists were among those who were turned down. Later, authorization was granted to a third AFP journalist.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association expressed “great sadness” over the rejections and claimed personnel replacements were challenging due to the quarantine and testing processes reporters had to go through.

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The administration told the media that it tried to strike a compromise between the needs of the media’s job and security needs when making the decision.

Large-scale traffic closures on Hong Kong Island were announced by the police on Tuesday, and they also temporarily outlawed the use of drones throughout the entire city due to security reasons.

The high-speed rail terminus, a Chinese opera performance space, and Hong Kong’s Science Park are just a few of the locations in the financial metropolis that have been restricted access.

Many employees at Science Park told AFP they had not been informed of Xi’s visit but that they had been advised to work from home on Thursday.

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Authorities have also made an effort to convey a sense of public support for the celebrations, notably by draping the flags of Hong Kong and China in large displays across numerous public housing developments.

In one estate, a 26-year-old tenant with the last name Chan objected to the tiny flags that had been positioned outside of each floor at a stairwell. He told AFP that it was “unnecessary and excessive.”

Tony, a staff member at the estate, claimed that if residents participated freely, the exhibition would be better.

Is this worldview truly something we’re embracing so heavily, he asked AFP.

“If it’s overdone, they can be turned off,”

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