Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday said Hong Kong overcame challenges and was "reborn" and that, he said, proved the effectiveness of the "One Country, Two Systems" policy.
He made the comments upon arriving in the city for a two-day visit to mark the 25th anniversary of the British handover and after a two-year transformation bringing the city more tightly under Communist Party control.
Under his leadership, China has reshaped Hong Kong in the past two years, cracking down on protest and freedom of speech and introducing a more patriotic curriculum in schools.
The changes have all but eliminated opposition voices and driven many to leave.
Hong Kong and nearby Macao are special administrative regions that are governed separately from the rest of China, known as the Chinese mainland.
It is Xi’s first trip outside of mainland China in nearly 2 ½ years.
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