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Xi heads to Macau for China handover anniversary party
MACAU, Dec 18, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Chinese president Xi Jinping will land in
Macau on Wednesday as the city prepares to mark 20 years since the former
Portuguese colony was returned, a celebration that stands in stark contrast
to months of unrest in neighbouring Hong Kong.
Security has been ramped up ahead of Xi’s three-day visit which culminates
on Friday’s anniversary.
China’s authoritarian leadership is keen to showcase Macau as a successful
example of its “one country, two systems” model, with party leaders heaping
praise on a pliant city of 700,000 that has grown rich on gambling and
deference to authoritarian rule.
Since the 1999 handover by Lisbon, Macau has witnessed little of the
dissent that has exploded in Hong Kong during six months of often violent
pro-democracy protests as large chunks of the population seethes under
Beijing’s rule.
Limited details have been released by authorities on Xi’s schedule.
On Thursday afternoon he will meet local leaders in the city and attend a
dinner and a cultural performance.
The following day he will preside over the inauguration of the city’s new
leader Ho Iat-seng.
A former member of China’s top lawmaking body, Ho won a one-horse race
this summer to become chief executive — a position that is chosen by a 400-
member committee stacked with Beijing loyalists.
– Transport checks, entries denied –
Security has been dramatically tightened ahead of Xi’s visit.
Police set up checkpoints and extra screenings for passenger arrivals
while authorities said some major roads would see closures.
The city’s first light rail line announced it would shut down for the
duration, just a week after it was first opened to the public while the
airport said some flights would be rescheduled.
Security checks have also been ramped up in Hong Kong and on a huge bridge
and tunnel system linking the two cities.
Since last week police from mainland China have been manning a newly
created checkpoint on an artificial island that links the bridge and tunnel
system between Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai, the first time they have done so.
When AFP reporters passed through, it was staffed by dozens of heavily
armed SWAT officers, and bus passengers had their luggage screened and
identities checked with facial recognition software.
The number of ferries running between the two cities has been reduced
while passengers at the Hong Kong end had their bags searched before
embarking.
Multiple journalists with Hong Kong passports working for local and
international media have been denied entry to Macau in the run up to the
anniversary.
Earlier this month the president and chairman of Hong Kong’s American
Chamber of Commerce were also denied entry to Macau.
– Dramatic transformation –
Macau’s skyline and economy have changed beyond recognition since four
centuries of Portuguese rule ended in 1999, with glittering casinos the
backbone of the city’s dramatic rise.
As the only place in China where gambling is allowed, Macau’s GDP has
soared from $6.4 billion in 1999 to more than $55 billion.
Per capita GDP is the third highest in the world behind Luxembourg and
Switzerland, according to the International Monetary Fund, while its casinos
now rake in each week the same as Las Vegas makes in a month.
But while Macau has grown rich and been politically stable in the 20 years
of Chinese rule, it has many vulnerabilities.
Much of the city’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a small elite
and all its economic chips are in the gambling basket which still accounts
for 80 percent of government revenue.
BSS/AFP/RY/11:42 hrs