China’s president backs Hong Kong’s leader amid unrest
Chinese President Xi Jinping has formally expressed support for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam, saying he has a “high degree of trust” in her to handle anti-government unrest in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
President Jinping made the comments in a meeting with Lam on the sidelines of an international import fair in Shanghai on Monday.
“Xi voiced the central government’s high degree of trust in Lam and full acknowledgement of the work of her and her governance team,” China’s official Xinhua news agency reported.
“Ending violence and chaos and restoring order remain the most important task for Hong Kong at present,” Xinhua quoted Xi as saying. He added that Lam had “done a lot of hard work” and striven to stabilize the situation in the city.
The Chinese president called for “effective efforts” to improve the lives of Hong Kongers and engage in dialog with all sectors of society.
Xi also expressed hope that people from “all walks of life” in Hong Kong fully implement the principle of “one country, two systems” and make concerted efforts to safeguard the city’s prosperity and stability.
Hong Kong has been governed under a “one-country, two-system” model since the city — a former British colony — was returned to China in 1997.
The semi-autonomous Chinese territory has been rocked by turbulent protests since June, when some people began protesting against a proposed extradition bill — since withdrawn — across the city.
The protests have gradually turned into street riots, with masked individuals vandalizing private and public property and businesses believed to be supportive of the mainland.
The Chinese government says the United States and Britain have been fanning the flames of the unrest in Hong Kong by supporting the protesters.
The protesters say they now want complete separation from mainland China.
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