Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam missing city’s 1997 handover commemorations to attend Communist Party’s centenary celebrations in Beijing
- Lam and dozens of senior political, business figures expected to head to Beijing on Monday for the Communist Party’s 100th anniversary
- Her attendance in the capital will mark the first time a Hong Kong chief executive is absent for official July 1 handover events in the city
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is set to meet state leaders during her stay in the Chinese capital, but Beijing is unlikely to drop any hints on whether she will be backed for re-election next March, according to analysts.
The party’s 100th anniversary next Thursday – the same day Hong Kong marks its return from British to Chinese rule – also represents the first time in eight months that President Xi Jinping and Lam will be attending the same public event, the previous occasion being the celebration of Shenzhen’s establishment as a special economic zone.
The Beijing-decreed legislation’s far-reaching impact has resulted in the arrest of ex-lawmakers and activists, as well as the founder, publisher and other senior executives of the tabloid-style newspaper Apple Daily. The associated freezing of HK$18 million in assets key to the tabloid’s operations led to its closure this week after 26 years.
Sources told the Post on Thursday that Lam was likely to fly from Hong Kong to Beijing on Monday, alongside her secretaries for finance, justice and constitutional affairs. Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu, and several heads of disciplined services could also travel to the capital.
“Lam and her delegation will return to Hong Kong on July 1. During her absence, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung will stay in Hong Kong as acting chief executive,” a source said. “But other details of the trip have yet to be confirmed.”
No other Hong Kong chief executive in the city’s history has missed the handover anniversary events, which include a morning flag-raising ceremony.
