By XU WEI in Hong Kong | chinadaily.com.cn

Updated: June 30, 2022

President Xi Jinping reaffirmed the significance of "one country, two systems" in ensuring the long-term prosperity and stability of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the well-being of its residents as he embarked on his two-day trip to the SAR on Thursday.

Speaking on arrival by high-speed train at the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, Xi said facts have proved the strong vitality of "one country, two systems."

"As long as we adhere to 'one country, two systems', the future of Hong Kong will be even better," he said.

Xi said his heart and the heart of the central government have always stayed with Hong Kong over the past five years.

The president is in the region to attend a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inauguration of the sixth administration of the Hong Kong SAR.

It will be the second time that he has presided over the city's anniversary event, after a trip in 2017.

He was welcomed with a red carpet, flag-waving residents, a military band and lion dance at the station. His wife, Peng Liyuan, was among the entourage from Beijing.