China's Xi vows support for Hong Kong leader during 'most difficult' time
17 December, 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping met Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam in Beijing on Monday (Dec 16), saying he recognised her courage to govern the Asian financial hub in these "most difficult" times.
"The situation in Hong Kong in 2019 was the most complex and difficult since its return to the motherland," Xi told local media in brief comments before the closed door session.
Lam's meetings come after Hong Kong police fired tear gas in late night street clashes with protesters on Sunday as the former British colony's worst political crisis in decades drags on into a seventh month.
Hong Kong media have speculated that Lam's talks with Xi could yield fresh directives on the city's political crisis, including a possible cabinet reshuffle. Xi did not go into specifics, but reiterated his support for Lam despite some previous media reports suggesting she might be replaced.
"We will continue to be unwavering in supporting you to lead the Hong Kong special administrative government to govern in accordance with the law," said Xi as Lam listened next to him.
He added Beijing was "unwavering in supporting the Hong Kong police to firmly uphold the law", while expressing the hope for unity in Hong Kong to get the city back on the right path.
Earlier, Lam met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang who said Hong Kong was not yet out of the "dilemma" facing the city's ailing economy after months of sometimes violent protests.
"The SAR (special administrative region) government must continue its efforts, end violence and stop the chaos in accordance with the law and restore order," Li said in his meeting with Lam, the opening remarks of which were broadcast by Cable TV.
Anti-government protests in the city since June have posed one of the biggest populist challenges to Xi's rule. The unrest has also complicated ties between China and the United States at a time of heightened tensions, including over trade.
TEAR GAS
Late on Sunday, groups of masked youths blocked roads around Mong Kok district, prompting police to fire multiple rounds of tear gas and baton charge crowds.
Protesters are angry by what they see as Chinese meddling in freedoms promised to Hong Kong when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
It was the first time in nearly two weeks that tear gas had been deployed by police.
Fires were lit and traffic lights smashed, while one student reporter for Baptist University was hit in the face by a police projectile and had to be hospitalised, local television footage showed.
Small bands of protesters marched through several malls, blocking entrances, smashing glass, and chanting slogans including "fight for freedom". Many shops in affected malls closed early after battalions of riot police stormed in, pepper spraying crowds and making multiple arrests.
Despite the protesters' demands and anti-China rhetoric, China maintains it is committed to the "one country, two systems" formula granting Hong Kong a large degree of autonomy and freedoms denied other cities in the mainland.
Xi said that Lam had continued to uphold the "one country, two systems" principle that promises Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy and liberties, such as freedom of the press, denied in the mainland under Chinese rule.
The Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report on Monday that press freedom in Hong Kong has come under an accelerating squeeze despite China's pledges to maintain an open society.
Large media properties have come under mainland Chinese ownership or influence, while targeted violence has underscored potential dangers for journalists who challenge China's wishes, the report said.
Asked about the report during a daily news briefing in Beijing on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said he has not seen the report and that it was not worth refuting.
ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
The city, home to around 7 million people, entered its first recession in a decade in the third quarter with tourism and retail particularly affected by the sometimes violent protests.
Hong Kong International Airport reported its biggest fall in passenger numbers in more than a decade in November, official data released on Sunday showed.
Lam's administration has pledged HK$25 billion (US$3.2 billion) in stimulus but analysts say it is unlikely to have a major impact as long as the unrest continues.
Some 7,000 licensed retail establishments out of 64,000 say they will be forced to close down in the next six months, the Hong Kong Retail Management Association said earlier this month.
While the number of protests has lessened in recent weeks from demonstrations nearly every day, the movement still enjoys broad backing, with families with children and retirees still coming out in support.
Protesters have called on the government to address their demands which include an independent inquiry into police behaviour and the implementation of universal suffrage.
Source: