Xi Jinping defends vision of Hong Kong as 25-year anniversary marked

HONG KONG: China’s leader Xi Jinping marked the 25th anniversary of ’s return in a speech on Friday emphasizing Beijing’s comprehensive control over the once-British colony under his vision of the “one country, two systems” framework – countering criticism that the political and civic freedoms promised for the next quarter-century have been all but erased under Chinese rule.
Xi praised the city for overcoming “violent social unrest” – a reference to the 2019 massive…