Skip to content
Subscriber Only
Politics

Xi Says Hong Kong Should Profit From China, Not Defy It

  • Protesters skeptical of president’s offer of prosperity
  • Former British colony marks 20th anniversary of Chinese rule
Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's incoming chief executive, left, recites the oath of office as Xi Jinping, China's president, looks on in Hong Kong.

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's incoming chief executive, left, recites the oath of office as Xi Jinping, China's president, looks on in Hong Kong.

Photographer: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg
Updated on

President Xi Jinping warned a divided Hong Kong that challenges to China’s rule wouldn’t be tolerated and said the city’s leaders must find new ways to profit from Chinese economic clout.

Xi’s stern speech Saturday -- at a ceremony in which he swore in Carrie Lam, 60, as Hong Kong’s first female chief executive -- capped a three-day trip to mark the 20th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to China. The president said the city’s leaders must build political consensus, devise new economic drivers and address soaring home prices.