Where is Xi Jinping? Officials keep a tight lid on Guangdong tour
- With little official information to go on, it’s anyone’s guess where the president will appear next
- Traffic control arrangements began in the Qianhai area of Shenzhen on Tuesday afternoon
Officials have kept a tight lid on the itinerary for Xi Jinping’s highly anticipated Guangdong trip, with locals hunting for clues in traffic control and security moves and social media abuzz with talk about where the president could appear next.
But after that, no official information was released until late on Tuesday evening, when state news agency Xinhua reported that Xi had stopped in Qingyuan, in the north of the province, to inspect poverty alleviation work.
Xi’s visit is reminiscent of former leader Deng Xiaoping’s famous Southern Tour in early 1992. The South China Morning Post has learned that a visit to Qianhai in Shenzhen could be on the cards, to show the president’s support for further economic liberalisation.
The city is the birthplace of the country’s market-oriented reforms and the Qianhai area has been earmarked for developing closer ties between the mainland, Hong Kong and innovation in the service industry.
Traffic control arrangements began in the area on Tuesday afternoon and will be in place until Wednesday evening.
But it has been quiet in most big cities in the Pearl River Delta region after a busy weekend of preparation and stepped-up security controls.