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All eyes on President Xi Jinping as Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam heads to Beijing to collect her report card
- City’s leader to meet top state officials behind closed doors
- Analysts believe topics of discussion will include national security and rebuilding ties with pro-establishment camp
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As Hong Kong’s embattled leader flies to Beijing this weekend for her third annual duty visit, all eyes will be on what Chinese President Xi Jinping has to say on the city’s ongoing civil unrest.
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But analysts said apart from the public greetings and messages and body language, it is the key instructions behind closed doors that will decide whether Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s government will change its course and in what direction.
They believe China’s top leaders, including Xi, Premier Li Keqiang, and Vice-Premier Han Zheng, could make use of the opportunity to brief Lam on issues ranging from protecting national security, rebuilding ties with the pro-establishment camp, to imposing sanctions on American organisations.
Sources told the Post that Lam was expected to fly to Beijing on Saturday, meet Xi and Li on December 16, and return to Hong Kong the day after.
The meetings will be the first after Hong Kong’s pro-establishment bloc suffered a humiliating, landslide defeat at the district council elections, with the pro-democracy camp winning 392 out of 452 seats on November 24, taking control of 17 of the 18 district councils.
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