China’s Xi says full control over Hong Kong achieved, determined on Taiwan

BEIJING: China has achieved comprehensive control over Hong Kong, turning it from chaos to governance, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech on Sunday (Oct 16) at the opening of the once-in-five-year Communist Party congress in Beijing.

China has also waged a major struggle against Taiwan separatism and is determined and able to oppose territorial integrity, Xi said.

He also hailed his Communist Party’s rule at the major leadership meeting at which he is expected to be handed a historic third term in power.

“The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is a very important congress convened at a critical moment when the whole party and the people of all ethnic groups are embarking on a new journey of comprehensively building a modernised socialist country and marching towards the second centenary goal,” Xi told delegates at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

He added that China had put “the people and their lives first” when dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xi said China had “protected people’s safety and health to the highest degree and achieved significant positive results in coordinating epidemic prevention and control and social and economic development”.