Senior Chinese leaders lay down law in southern China amid ongoing protests across Hong Kong border
- Vice-President Wang Qishan emphasises the Communist Party’s connection to Chinese history during a weekend visit to Guangdong
- Officials also stress the importance of fighting ‘foreign subversion’ amid ongoing clashes between Hong Kong police and protesters
Senior Chinese officials have paid a series of visits to the southern province of Guangdong in recent weeks amid the ongoing unrest across the border in Hong Kong.
The most recent was a three-day trip by Vice-President Wang Qishan, a close ally of President Xi Jinping, who watched Italy play the Philippines in the Basketball World Cup alongside visiting Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte.
During the trip, Wang also visited a number of education and cultural institutes where he stressed the importance of China’s history and heritage – emphasising the Communist Party’s connection to that history.
Senior Chinese officials, including Xi, have often quoted Lenin’s comment that “forgetting history means betrayal” as a way of highlighting the importance of patriotism following China’s experiences of foreign invasion in the 19th and 20th centuries.
It is not known whether Wang discussed the situation in Hong Kong during his visit, but his comments did allude to the upcoming 70th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic.