Hong Kong marks 25th anniversary of its return to China. Flag-raising ceremony

 

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 A flagraising ceremony was held in Hong Kong at 8 a.m. Friday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its return to China. [ CGTN]
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Xi Jinping of China on Friday oversaw closely choreographed #celebration to mark the 25th anniversary  of the former British colony ’s handover to Beijing amid a massive security presence.

Hong Kong’s new chief executive, John Lee, watched as helicopters flew over the Chinese and Hong Kong flags  . A flotilla sprayed columns of water as soldiers raised both flags.

Xi did not attend this ceremony, local media reported, spending the night in the neighboring #mainland  city of Shenzhen. She was back in town for the inauguration  of the new Lee government.

“After rejoining the motherland, the people of Hong Kong became masters of their own city,” Xi said at the ceremony. “Hong Kong’s true democracy  started here.”

Arriving in Hong Kong a day earlier on a high-speed train, Xi said: “After the storms, Hong Kong was reborn from the fire and emerged with robust vitality.”

 Britain returned Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997