It’s on: Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Hong Kong for handover anniversary

President’s first visit to the city as national leader will include overseeing Carrie Lam’s swearing-in as chief executive, but will not involve visit with ordinary residents

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Xi Jinping is expected to land at Hong Kong airport on Thursday. Photo: AP

Published: 10:15am, 25 Jun 2017Updated: 12:51pm, 27 Jun 2017

Hong Kong is making final preparations and unprecedented security arrangements for President Xi Jinping’s visit, which has been confirmed for Thursday to Saturday, to mark the 20th anniversary of the city’s handover from British to Chinese rule and swear in a new administration.

The president would also “inspect” the city, the official Xinhua news agency announced on Sunday, confirming a Post report on Friday that Xi would visit for the first time since becoming China’s leader in 2013.

Xi’s packed itinerary includes overseeing the swearing-in of the new chief executive, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, and her cabinet on July 1. Before flying out later that day, he is expected to make visits to one of the city’s two biggest and most controversy-plagued infrastructure project sites – either the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge or the high-speed rail link to Guangzhou.

Sources said Xi’s tight schedule would leave him no time to visit a local family or neighbourhood, as his predecessors had in the past.

Xi may visit the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge site. Photo: Dickson Lee

But his wife, Peng Liyuan, will pick up the charm offensive by meeting residents of an elderly home on Friday.