Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet the leaders of Hong Kong and Macao as well as tycoons and representatives of major property developers during his upcoming tour to celebrate Shenzhen’s 40th anniversary as a Special Economic Zone.

All those meeting Xi will first need to test negative for COVID-19, Apple Daily has learned, an arrangement that was similar to May’s delayed annual meeting of China’s legislature.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and Macao Chief Executive Ho Iat-Seng will be meeting Xi, according to a South China Morning Post report, though it was unclear whether they would be meeting the president one-on-one. The Chief Executive’s office didn’t respond to Apple Daily’s request for clarification.

Xi’s visit will be the first time he has come in close proximity to Hong Kong since last year’s anti-government protests sparked by a now-withdrawn bill providing for extradition to mainland China and Beijing’s imposition of a national security law on the city on June 30. The last time he met with Lam was in December 2019 — the protests were still ongoing — in Beijing, during which Xi praised Lam’s “courage” and “responsibility” during challenging times.

Xi is also expected to talk about the future of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, with the key message that the two places will become more integrated.

President Hu Jintao attended the 30th anniversary of Shenzhen in 2010. He held a meeting with the then chief executive, Donald Tsang. But it was the encounter between Hu and Hong Kong’s best-known multi-billionaire Li Ka-shing that hogged the headlines, with Hu praising Li’s contribution to Hong Kong and the motherland.

In 2000, President Jiang Zemin delivered a speech at the 20th anniversary of Shenzhen. The event was attended by Hong Kong’s first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, and Edmund Ho, the first chief executive of Macao.

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