Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Hong Kong must be governed by "patriots,” in the latest sign of Beijing’s focus on tightening control over the semiautonomous Asian financial center.
Xi told Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, whose term expires next year, that having loyal leaders was the only way to ensure the city’s stability, state media said. During the videoconference Wednesday, the Chinese president also offered some of his strongest praise yet for the unpopular Lam, crediting her with "stopping violence and chaos in accordance with the law and working to bring Hong Kong back on track.”
"On major issues such as national security, you have taken a firm stand and assumed responsibilities, demonstrating your love of and deep sense of responsibility to the motherland and Hong Kong,” Xi told Lam, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.