The new 'democratic' era of Hong Kong according to Xi Jinping: a city that can only be governed by patriots

• Asia Xi Jinping lands in Hong Kong 25 years after ceasing to be a British colony

Only patriots can lead

into a new era of democracy and prosperity.

That is the new slogan launched by

in a city where dissent has been jailed and

The message convinces in Beijing

.

's most vibrant and free centers

, but now looks more like any other province in

than ever .

The reality is that in

there is a lack of those convinced patriots that Xi wants for

.

Chinese identity is not as entrenched as the president would like.

For this reason, some time ago it was proposed to

it to the new generations, rewriting in the classroom a history in which it is ensured that democracy came to

when it ceased to be a British colony.

This was stated by Xi this Friday during the

by Great Britain.

"After reunifying with the motherland,

became masters of their own city," he said.

On his first trip outside

since the pandemic began, the leader vowed to uphold the

under which

was promised some autonomy and freedoms for 50 years.

But

has not even lasted a quarter of a century.

From London and Washington, Prime Minister

and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have accused the

of not respecting the agreement that ended British colonial rule in 1997.

Relationship with Beijing

"It is clear that the authorities in

no longer see democratic participation, fundamental freedoms and independent media as part of this vision agreed upon

. The authorities have jailed the opposition, erased independent media and weakened the democratic institutions. They have made an effort to

of what they were promised," Blinken said after Xi delivered a speech insisting that

should only be ruled by patriots.

"After much turmoil, people have learned a painful lesson that

cannot be disorderly, cannot afford to be. Stability has been restored," said Xi, who was accompanied by the

who was sworn in to begin a five-year term.

"

should be able to maintain its capitalist system for a long period of time, with a high level of autonomy. But all Hong Kongers should be able to

," the Chinese president said.

The British flag fluttered atop

when Paul Lee opened his toy store just off Victoria Harbour.

and a new governor had just arrived in the colony, Chris Patten, who had the mission of preparing the city for five years to

after 155 years under the British empire.

Lee remembers Patten as a less autocratic and despotic leader than the ones he used to

on the Asian adventure, someone who tried to sneak a wave of reforms into the

so that a strong democratic opposition could have a voice inside

after of the transfer of sovereignty.

The Chinese flag flies above

today .

Lee's toy store is still standing, but in ruins like so many other businesses in a city that he has been closed for two and a half years.

's speech and the inauguration of the new head of the local government

on television on Friday morning .

Exactly 25 years ago, on the night of July 1, 1997, the toymaker witnessed the farewell of the last governor of

live .

After returning the territory to

Chris Patten and Prince Charles left on a royal family yacht, escorted by a flotilla of

sailing off into the sunset.

"Many of us like myself then felt trapped between a new homeland, China, for which

, and an imperial homeland that had betrayed us. Our only flag was Hong Kong," recalls Lee.

"There were a few years in which

grew as the city became a major global financial center.

in everywhere, the city vibrated while the rest of the country experienced a

unique

. There was respect and consensus among the city leaders," continues the toymaker.

"From 2012, when

seized power in Beijing, the authorities became less tolerant of

and Chinese nationalist movements grew. That was only the beginning of a change of direction that culminated in the national security law passed last year. Now, the

that we bragged about so much no longer exists," he says.

Lee has a son in his twenties, Josean, who left last year to live in Taiwan for fear of being arrested after

-democracy protests and having been part of the defunct Demosisto, a political formation that defended autonomy. all of

.

"The Chinese dictatorship has cleansed the city of political opposition.

have been changed

and books have been censored to encourage a feeling of patriotism among the youngest, who are the most distant from the

.

But now more than ever people identify as Hongkongers, rejecting the Chinese identity," says Josean from Taipei.

Dozens of

like the toymaker's son decided to go into exile after the approval of a draconian national security law that was

's response to the most forceful anti-government protests on Chinese soil since those

.

Since the application of the law, everything has happened like an

in several installments: sweeping of the pro-democratic opposition in Parliament, arrests of activists and closure of newspapers;

against those who shouted independence proclamations;

censorship of critical books in libraries and schools;

reinforcement of

in the classrooms.

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