Inspiring Trust, Optimism

President Xi Jinping's three-day visit to Hong Kong ended on a high note on July 1. He attended a gathering to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and swore in the new Chief Executive and principal officials of the fifth-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

By the end of his visit, Xi had inspired a note of optimism in the city's residents and a spirit of confidence in its new government.

This was Xi's first visit to Hong Kong as president. On Thursday, June 29, the mood was of happy congeniality as Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan walked out of the plane that had just touched down at Hong Kong International Airport to be greeted most enthusiastically by young people, Hong Kong's top public office-bearers and other dignitaries.