CHINA TO SEND PANDAS TO HONG KONG AS TERRITORY MARKS 27 YEARS SINCE HANDOVER
Hong Kong leader John Lee announced on Monday that China was gifting the former British colony a pair of giant pandas as the city marked 27 years since its return to Chinese rule.
Lee and senior officials, including officials from the People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government, raised a toast at a ceremony celebrating the handover’s anniversary.
In his keynote address, Lee reviewed the government’s achievements over the past two years, including efforts to safeguard harmony, stability, and economic progress.
Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997, under a “one country, two systems” formula, which guarantees wide-ranging autonomy and judicial independence not seen in mainland China.
Critics say the promise has been eroded after China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in June 2020, punishing acts of subversion, terrorism, collusion with foreign forces, and secession with possible life imprisonment, in addition to the arrests of scores of pro-democracy campaigners.
