Trip to Hong Kong: Xi's heart so tired! Ship sinks in storm off Hong Kong, dozens of crew in danger

On July 1st, Hong Kong held the 25th anniversary of the handover of its sovereignty, and the inauguration of the 6th Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. The Chinese Communist Party's General Secretary Xi Jinping visited Hong Kong on June 30th to attend the event. It is clear that he tried to project an image of a good leader, but his momentary relaxation might have put a big dent in this effort. On July 1st, Xi chaired the inauguration ceremony for the new Hong Kong government officials. The new Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Mr. Li Jiaqiao, delivered his inaugural speech that day. The speech was not long, only 13 minutes, but the footage showed that many of the dignitaries on stage seemed to have gone to dreamland. This included Xi Jinping, the outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and Chris Tong, the Secretary for Security of Hong Kong. Their eyes were closed, and they seemed to have dozed off. Carrie Lam's husband was particularly visible, as he slept so soundly that he almost slipped off his chair. Some people argue that Xi happened to be blinking when the picture was taken. However, some netizens said, this isn't a blink, but a tilted head posture, which is typical of those who sleep at meetings. The video we managed to find from China Central Television shows that Xi Jinping seemed to be trying to stay awake at the time. There is no actual evidence as to whether Xi dozed off or not. What can be assumed is that Xi was highly stressed and probably exhausted. The details of his visit to Hong Kong were kept very secretive. His official itinerary wasn't made public until almost the last minute. During the event, he didn't stay in Hong Kong, but went back and forth to Shenzhen for the night. In other words, on June 30th, Xi came to Hong Kong to attend the 25th anniversary of the handover of sovereignty and returned to Shenzhen that night. Then, the next day, on July 1st, Xi took the high-speed rail from Shenzhen to Hong Kong to officiate the inauguration of the new Hong Kong government officials. The high level of police security for Xi's visit is nothing new, as the CCP's leader's trips to different parts of the country have always been highly guarded with a large number of actors as a pretend crowd. The Hong Kong government is simply following the same protocol, so in the inner circle, it should be the CCP Central Security Bureau that was in charge. In the outer circle, the Hong Kong police had put in place a full range of security measures, providing Xi with personal protection and a convoy escort, as well as implementing extensive road closures, a so-called security zone and a core security zone, and a temporary no-fly zone on both sides of Victoria Harbour. It's quite clear that anyone who wished to protest would be arrested immediately and had no chance to approach Xi. With such stringent security measures, there is no reason for Xi to take a high-speed train ride to Shenzhen to sleep at night. Some analysts have suggested that Xi was guarding against protesters from Hong Kong, but we don't think so. A more logical reason is that his political enemies might send assassins, making it dangerous. Plus, there are too many people in Hong Kong who can't be trusted. Over the past 25 years, more than a million people have migrated to Hong Kong from mainland China, mostly through the privileges of the CCP's powerful elite. Among them, former party leader Jiang Zemin and his ally Chen Qinghong have sent the most people, including Xiao Jianhua, the founder of the Tomorrow Group, and a financer with huge assets. He was kidnapped from Hong Kong and secretly escorted back to Beijing in January 2017. Xiao was considered a white glove to the families of Jiang and Zheng. He was estimated to be worth US$5 billion at the time of his disappearance. The recent incidents with banks in mainland China where depositors are unable to take out money and lost their savings, have been connected to Jiang Zemin and Chen Qinghong's long-standing control of the Chinese financial system. The Golden Triangle of the Tomorrow Group by Xiao Jianhua, the Huarong Group by Lai Xiaomin, and the Anbang Group by Wu Xiaohui has dominated Hong Kong's stock market for many years and was a key player in the financial coup against Xi in 2015. Of these three, Lai Xiaomin was sentenced to death. Wu Xiaohui was handed a heavy sentence of 18 years and that Xiao Jianhua went on trial in Shanghai on July 4th this year. Apart from those big and small figures like Xiao Jianhua and their henchmen, the newly appointed officials in the Hong Kong government might not be truly loyal to Xi Jinping, even though they have apparently been screened by the Xi camp. The CCP bureaucracy has always followed a system of allegiance that has driven out a lot of talents, forcing them to leave. When mediocrity takes over, more talents are driven out. The Xi camp wants to promote as many of its own people as possible at this fall's 20th National Congress, but few of them are usable. Many of his cronies, in addition to showing loyalty and doing shoddy work, are often not useful. For example, Xi's crony, Xu Liyi. He was the municipal party secretary for Zhengzhou. When the tragic floods of 2021 happened in Zhengzhou, he was targeted by his political opponents and eventually removed from his post. I am very appreciative to President Xi for summarizing four important experiences, including the need to fully and accurately implement the one country, two systems policy, to uphold the overall governance of the central government and to preserve the high degree of autonomy of the special administrative region. Hong Kong must be governed by patriots and its unique position and advantages must be preserved. This will aid Hong Kong and the international community in gaining a complete and accurate understanding of the one country, two systems policy and ensuring that its practice is not distorted. This is the first time Xi Jinping has left China since the outbreak in Wuhan in late 2019, and he brought his wife with him. On June 29th, more than 2,000 new cases were reported in Hong Kong, a record high since April 2022. It is not customary for the wives of CCP leaders to accompany them on visits to Hong Kong. Former President Hu Jintao's wife kept a low profile and didn't attend the 15th anniversary of the handover of sovereignty in 2012. Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, visited a Chinese opera center. A well-known Chinese singer, Peng, was a bigger name among the Chinese public than Xi when he was a local official. The First Lady is a popular public figure in her own right, which is unprecedented in the CCP's history. This is an advantage to Xi, and it can be presumed that Xi is making use of it by having the First Lady appear at the event to improve his image. Xi Jinping took a big risk in his visit to Hong Kong this time. He risked being infected with the virus on the one hand, and on the other hand, he might face a coup d'etat and an assassination. But he still brought his wife to Hong Kong in a high profile. It is very likely that he wanted to show that he was in control of power before the 20th Congress of the CCP, unafraid of the risk. He came here mainly to show his dominance and establish his authority within the Party. On July 1, 1997, Britain handed over Hong Kong to Beijing under the promise of 50 years of no change and one country, two systems. But after the suppression of Hong Kong's anti-extradition movement in 2019 and the subsequent national security law in Hong Kong, the communist regime only kept its promise halfway. And after only 25 years, the one country, two systems in Hong Kong no longer exists. Hong Kong has lost considerable since 2020. It lost autonomy, it lost governance capacity, it lost civic participation, it lost local accountability, and it's lost reputation, I think it's fair to say. But Hong Kong is still different from a mainland city. I think in my mind, and I think for many in Hong Kong, this is a city that is no longer recognizable. Even five years ago, you would expect that July 1st marks actually a day of protest. I think as an outsider, to understand what's going on in Hong Kong, just imagine a similar hardline crackdown in New York or London. I mean, basically, Hong Kong was one of the freest, most open societies in Asia, even ranked as such, for years. And so that's where the crackdown is occurring. So almost all the ingredients of an open society are under threat. The universities, the secondary schools, the broadcast media, and so on. The CCP media is eager to report good news on the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover and give some extra weight to Xi Jinping's re-election campaign. Yet, no matter how festive it may seem, Hong Kong's decline is visible both internally and externally. Xi Jinping said that Hong Kong must be ruled by patriots. We must implement the principle of patriots administering Hong Kong. Keeping political power in the hands of patriots is a political rule commonly practiced in the world. No people in any country or region in the world will ever allow political power to fall into the hands of forces or individuals who don't love their country or would even sell out or betray their own country. To keep the power to administer the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region firmly in the hands of patriots is essential for safeguarding the long-term stability and security of Hong Kong. The implication of this statement is that Hong Kong must be in the hands of a group that follows the orders of the CCP. It is nothing new except adding to the frustration of Hong Kongers. The suppression of democracy and freedom, the destruction of the British legal system, the loss of the freedom of the media and the forced brainwashing of education by the CCP have all served to change Hong Kong forever. Surely, there are always people who are willing to act as so-called patriots in Hong Kong. I really want to thank everyone who supports me. I can't believe it has already been 60 years. Every moment of perseverance is an accumulated harvest. Being able to witness the development of the country with everybody, especially next week, will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. I have felt the earth-shaking changes in our country over the years and I am very proud. In his speech, Xi also said he expected Hong Kong to raise the standard of governance and fully unleash the tremendous creativity and vitality of Hong Kong society. It's hard to imagine how a Hong Kong government short of talent and lacking scrutiny under the control of a red party can be capable of bringing Hong Kong onto the right path. While Xi Jinping was in Hong Kong, Tropical Storm Chaba, which hit Hong Kong on June 30th, battered the city on July 1st, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds, forcing the suspension of public transport and the closure of many businesses. Chaba's strong winds and heavy rain caused an engineering vessel to sink about 160 nautical miles southwest of Hong Kong on July 2nd. 30 crew members abandoned the ship and struggled for survival in the heavy waves. The Hong Kong Government Flying Service was dispatched for the search and rescue. Unfortunately, only three people were rescued as of July 2nd. The accident site happened to be in the center of the storm, and the waves were too strong and interfered with the rescue. Many people are still missing. According to the three rescued crew members, the ship was seriously tilted and ruptured. Crews could only hold onto the ship's fence waiting for the helicopter's arrival. Other crew members may have been washed away by the waves before the first helicopter arrived. As we've reported in a previous episode, Hong Kong's famous Jumbo Floating Restaurant or Jumbo Seafood Restaurant suddenly sank in the Shisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea on June 19th. At that time, some netizens commented that what sank was not a restaurant boat, but an era of Hong Kong. However, times are fast changing and the entire international environment is evolving rapidly. In their several marches from 2019 to 2021, the people of Hong Kong raised the slogan End the CCP, which shows clearly the choice of Hong Kongers. Such a day might not be too far. But on the 25th anniversary of the handover, we simply cannot avoid the fact that for some time now, Beijing has been failing to comply with its obligations. It's a state of affairs that threatens both the rights and freedoms of Hong Kongers and the continued progress and prosperity of their home. But we are not giving up on Hong Kong. 25 years ago, we made a promise to the territory and its people and we intend to keep it, doing all we can to hold China to its commitments so that Hong Kong is once again run by the people of Hong Kong for the people of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong and no external force has the right to interfere. The United Kingdom has no right of sovereignty, governance or supervision over post-handover Hong Kong and the so-called commitments do not exist at all. Britain's repeated statements about the Sino-British joint statement will only once again expose their dark and outdated colonial mentality and dangerous and malicious attempts to discredit Hong Kong's image in the name of human rights.