Communist China on Tuesday kicked off the colossal celebrations of its 70th anniversary, while in Hong Kong, pro-democracy protesters promised to steal the show. "Nothing can shake the foundations of our great nation, nothing can stop the Chinese nation and people from moving forward," said President Xi Jinping, dressed in a dark Mao suit. President Xi delivered his speech from Tiananmen Gate, the very place where his distant predecessor Mao Tse-tung proclaimed the People's Republic on October 1, 1949.
He then began to review the troops standing in a convertible before an ultra-secure military parade. With 15,000 soldiers, hundreds of tanks, missiles and fighter planes, the decennial parade of October 1st is announced as one of the most gigantic ever seen in Beijing. The festivities are held under very high surveillance: only a select audience is admitted on the huge avenue of eternal peace to see the parade.
Xi Jinping, who has further strengthened the authority of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since coming to power in late 2012, is sometimes considered the most powerful Chinese leader since the reign of Mao (1949-76). He paid tribute to him on Monday in the mausoleum where the "Great Helmsman" rests on Tiananmen Square. The power glorifies the historical role of Mao Tse-tung as founder of the regime, while erasing its dramatic aspects. According to a report made by many Sinologists abroad, the political and economic campaigns launched by the "Great Helmsman" have resulted in the death of 40 to 70 million people.
Events planned in Hong Kong
The authority of Beijing has however been undermined since June in Hong Kong, 2,000 km south of Beijing, by a protest movement never seen since the return of the former British colony to China in 1997. Violent demonstrations Sunday again clashed with police and pro-democracy protesters, who accused Beijing of increasing its influence in the autonomous territory. "We expect the situation tomorrow to be very, very dangerous," warned John Tse, senior local police chief, on Monday.
Hong Kong protesters, who have called for a "day of anger", intend to take advantage of Tuesday's celebrations to shout their resentment of the Chinese regime, denounce the decline in freedoms and the violation, they say, of One country, two systems "which had presided over the surrender of 1997. Speaking Monday evening, President Xi Jinping pledged to continue the implementation of this principle, while defending national unity. "Unity is iron and steel, unity is a source of strength," he said, while his regime has left the specter of intervention in the past few months 'order.
Tensions arose from opposition to a Hong Kong bill that would allow extradition to mainland China. The text has since been buried but the claims have widened considerably, including claiming the head of the head of the pro-Beijing executive, Carrie Lam. Ms. Lam left Hong Kong for Beijing to attend the festivities. In the former colony, his government canceled the fireworks scheduled for October 1, for fear of incidents. In Beijing, the day is to end with a civil parade of some 100,000 people around 70 carnival floats evoking the achievements of the last decades, before a fireworks that promises to be colossal.