Hong Kong takes spotlight in China amid pomp for anniversary
BEIJING — Chinese Communist Party leader and President Xi Jinping on Monday renewed his government’s commitment to allowing Hong Kong to manage its own affairs amid continuing anti-government protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.
Xi made his remarks at a reception on the eve of a massive celebration of the People’s Republic’s 70th anniversary that threatens to be marred by clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators in Hong Kong.
Demonstrators and police clashed for a second straight day on Sunday in Hong Kong, sparking further chaos in the city’s business and shopping districts and drawing fears of more ugly scenes during the week-long National Day holiday.
“We will continue to fully and faithfully implement the principles of ‘One country, two systems’ (and) ‘Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong,’” Xi said according to a printed copy of his remarks.
China’s approach is to ensure that Hong Kong and its fellow semi-autonomous region of Macao “prosper and progress alongside the mainland and embrace an even brighter future,” Xi said.
Earlier Monday, Xi led other top officials in paying respects to the founder of the Communist state, Mao Zedong, ahead of the celebrations emphasizing China’s rise to global prominence.
The unusual move saw Xi bow three times to Mao’s statue at his mausoleum in the center of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and pay his respects to Mao’s embalmed corpse, which has lain in state in the hulking chamber since soon after his death in 1976. It was believed to be the first visit to the mausoleum by Xi and other officials since 2013, the 120th anniversary of Mao’s birth.
Xi also ascended the nearby Monument to the People’s Heroes to pay further tribute on what has been designated...