Hong Kong readies for visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping for 25th handover anniversary celebrations
- Nearly 3,000 VIP guests and employees have entered quarantine at hotels, while police have thrown security blanket around key locations for celebrations
- President and his wife Peng Liyuan are expected to arrive by high-speed rail on Thursday for two-day visit
Hong Kong has pulled out all the stops for a smooth and secure visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, his first outside mainland China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, in which he is expected to lay down the direction of Beijing’s “one country, two systems” governing formula for the city.
Sources also revealed on Wednesday that first lady Peng Liyuan would accompany Xi during his two-day visit to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover to Chinese rule and oversee the transition to the new government led by John Lee Ka-chiu on Friday.
Police have thrown a security blanket around the downtown areas where the couple are expected to visit and the main events for the anniversary will be held. But the weather could force some last-minute changes to plans, after the Observatory issued the No 1 typhoon warning signal on Wednesday night.
Nearly 3,000 celebration guests and staff members earlier checked into two five-star hotels near the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre in Wan Chai for mandatory quarantine to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19.
They included top officials, government advisers, pro-Beijing heavyweights, tycoons, university chiefs, the heads of statutory bodies, diplomats and church leaders.
Police were checking vehicles entering the grounds of the Grand Hyatt and Renaissance Harbour View, allowing only the VIP guests to enter.
Among them were former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, chief executive advisers Joseph Yam Chi-kwong, Arthur Li Kwok-cheung and Ronny Tong Ka-wah, and billionaires Victor Li Tzar-kuoi and Lui Che-woo.