Prospects for Hong Kong are looking up, 29 years after the handover

On the 29th anniversary of the city’s return to China and 105 years since the Communist Party’s founding, President Xi expressed high expectations of Hong Kong and Macau

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A worker installs Chinese national and Hong Kong special administrative region flags in Tsim Sha Tsui, ahead of the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland on June 25. Photo: Jelly Tse

SCMP Editorial

Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.

Published: 7:15am, 2 Jul 2026

Hong Kong has marked the 29th anniversary of its return to the motherland amid opportunities and challenges. The path over the past three decades has been complex, shaped by global economic crises, geopolitical shifts, internal challenges and an evolving relationship with the mainland. Despite turmoil and setbacks, Hong Kong has charted a unique journey of resilience, adaptation and reinvention with the strong support of Beijing and under “one country, two systems”.

The early post-handover years tested our institutional strengths. The Asian financial crisis, the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and later the global financial crisis exposed vulnerabilities. Yet the city showed a strong capacity to recover each time, as reflected after the Covid-19 pandemic and 2019 social unrest.

This year’s anniversary carried additional symbolic weight as it coincided with official commemorations of the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China’s founding, which was marked by events both in Beijing and Hong Kong for the first time. The parallel observances underscore the constitutional context within which Hong Kong continues to prosper as a special administrative region of China under “one country, two systems”. Reviewing the party’s achievements at an event in Beijing, President Xi Jinping expressed support for Hong Kong and Macau better integrating with and serving the country, adding that promoting the two cities’ long-term prosperity and stability was essential for national rejuvenation. Resolving the Taiwan issue and realising reunification is a historic mission and an unshakeable commitment for the party, he said.