Xi asserts his power in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Chinese President Xi Jinping, visiting Hong Kong for the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, said on Friday the city’s “one country, two systems” formula faces “new challenges” as pro-democracy campaigners ramped up their protests.

Mr Xi’s visit comes amid heightened tension between China and the former British colony, where many are concerned at increasing interference by Beijing in the city’s affairs, despite the promise of wide-ranging autonomy under the “two systems” agreement.

The battle for full democracy, vividly illustrated by 79 days of “Occupy” street protests in 2014, has been a defining issue for the city of 7.3 million. It has sown distrust, polarised politics and hampered governance.

“In the 20 years since Hong Kong was returned to the motherland, the success of ‘one country, two systems’ is recognised by the whole world,” Mr Xi said in a speech.

“Of course, during the implementation, we’ve met some new situations, new issues and new challenges. On these issues, they need to be regarded correctly and analysed rationally... Issues are not scary. The key is to think of ways to solve these issues.”

Without giving specifics, Mr Xi said these needed to be corrected and not handled with an “emotional attitude”.

But in a stark and surprising announcement, the Chinese foreign ministry said the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration on Hong Kong, which laid the blueprint over how the city would be ruled after 1997, no longer had any practical significance.

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson on Thursday had said Britain’s commitment to Hong Kong, enshrined in the “treaty”, was “just as strong today” as it was 20 years ago.

“Now Hong Kong has returned to the motherland’s embrace for 20 years, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, as a historical document, no longer has any practical significance, and it is not at all binding for the central government’s management over Hong Kong,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.