
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday claimed "true democracy" began in Hong Kong 25 years ago when the city was handed over from British to Chinese rule.
"After its return to the motherland, Hong Kong compatriots became masters of their own affairs, Hong Kong people administered Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy, and that was the beginning of true democracy in Hong Kong," Xi said in a keynote address to Hong Kong officials to mark the anniversary of the handover.
Many would disagree: The Chinese leader's comments come despite many observers pointing to a substantial erosion of democratic rights in Hong Kong in recent years.
No opposition lawmakers remain in the city's legislature, while nearly all of the city’s leading pro-democracy figures, including activists and politicians, have either been forced into exile or imprisoned — with dozens of them behind bars. Pro-democracy media outlets have been shuttered, and civil society groups disbanded following the implementation of a national security law.
In his speech, Xi also claimed Hong Kong continues to maintain a “high level of autonomy” as promised under the “one country, two systems” framework, designed to grant that degree of autonomy for 50 years post-handover.
"(The system) has won the full support of over 1.4 billion Chinese people, the unanimous support of Hong Kong and Macao residents, and the universal endorsement of the international community. There is no reason for such a good system to change and it must be maintained for a long time to come," Xi said.
He stressed that Hong Kong's stability and its future development would depend on the city being governed by “patriots” and upholding that system.
But critics say that system has already been critically undermined by Beijing’s broad crackdown on civil society, arrests of opposition lawmakers and the imposition of a sweeping national security law that followed the city's 2019 pro-democracy protests.
Hong Kong has put "an end to chaos and violence," Xi said, in an apparent reference to that period.
"The next five years will be a crucial period for Hong Kong to break new ground and take a new leap forward. Opportunities and challenges coexist. The opportunities outweigh the challenges," he said.




