Beijing: TheĀ 15th anniversary of Hong Kong’sĀ return to China from UK is being marked on Sunday.
Chinese President Hu Jintao is leading the main events. He earlier swore in businessman CY Leung as the territory’s new leader.
Beijing loyalist Leung Chun-ying, a self-made millionaire and surveyor, began his five-year term as leader of Hong Kong on Sunday, following an electoral race fraught with mud-slinging and controversy.
Leung, 57, replaces Donald Tsang as chief executive.
The new leader was selected earlier this spring, but his popularity has been hit recently by a housing scandal involving illegal constructions in a luxury villa, as well as his close ties to Beijing.
Small groups of protesters have tried to disrupt his visit.
One of their main complaints is that the system used to choose Hong Kong’s leader is designed to install Beijing’s choice.
A so-called electoral college of 1,200 business leaders and other influential citizens, mostly loyal to Beijing, chooses the leader.
At the swearing-in ceremony, Mr Hu offered “warm congratulations” to Mr Leung and his team and described the 15th anniversary as a “joyous occasion”.
He reiterated Beijing’s commitment to the “one country, two systems” policy whereby Hong Kongers are allowed many more political freedoms than Chinese people in the mainland.
While many Hong Kongers were happy to join in the celebrations…
A lone heckler stood and shouted at the Chinese president during the speech, referring to the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, but he was quickly bundled out of the harbourfront building.
People are unhappy with record property prices, an increasing wealth gap, a lack of democracy and a string of political scandals.
An annual protest in support of human rights is due to take place later, with tens of thousands expected to attend.
Hong Kong, a British colony until 1997, has a comparatively high degree of autonomy from Beijing.
But China’s leaders in Beijing have resisted public pressure for full democracy in the city.
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