Hong Kong’s police will conduct British-era foot exercises on the anniversary of the handover, in an effort to eradicate vestiges of the colonial past. Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, after 156 years of British colonial control, with the promise of 50 years of autonomy. To increase patriotism, the key financial hub’s police will now march in a ‘goose step’ formation.
In a statement to Bloomberg News, the Hong Kong Police Force said, ‘From July 1, the Hong Kong Police Force will completely adopt Chinese foot exercises to promote patriotism and raise understanding of national identity’. The statement follows the official Xinhua News Agency’s news that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 25th-anniversary festivities of Hong Kong’s return to China.
The inauguration of Hong Kong’s administration, led by newly appointed Chief Executive John Lee, will take place during the anniversary festivities, which is one of the year’s most high-profile political events. Xi, who is also the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, is already the most powerful Chinese leader since at least the 1980s, and he wants to be viewed as guiding a ‘national rejuvenation’ amid a military expansion and more assertive foreign policy.
Jinping, who is preparing for a third five-year term as president of the ruling Communist Party, has not left the Chinese mainland since the coronavirus outbreak began two and a half years ago. After a surge of cases threatened to overrun its hospitals, Hong Kong is seeing a resurgence of coronavirus infections. After China presented the Hong Kong national security law in order to crack down on dissent, citizens of the city marched in the streets in 2019 to fight for liberty and justice.
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