China Strongly Backs Hong Kong’s Leaders, Lam’s No. 2 Says

(Bloomberg) -- As Chinese President Xi Jinping gets set to celebrate 70 years of Communist rule in China, pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong are planning to upset the celebrations with a series of potentially violent protests.The Oct. 1 National Day events in Beijing will include a high-profile speech from Xi as well as a military parade past Tiananmen Square that is set to show off China’s most advanced weaponry, including ballistic missiles and warplanes. In Hong Kong, where protests have rocked the financial hub for 17 straight weekends, residents are braced for a numerous protests to push back against China’s tightening grip over the city.Here’s the latest (all times local):Cheung vows dialogue (8:12 a.m.)Hong Kong’s acting leader, Matthew Cheung, vowed to continue dialogue with protesters in remarks following a flag-raising ceremony in the city’s center. Last week, Chief Executive Carrie Lam faced a barrage of questions about her government’s handling of the unrest during her first town-hall-style dialogue session.“China has been strongly supportive to the Hong Kong chief executive and the SAR to govern effectively,” Cheung said, referring to the special adminstrative region. “Hong Kong has been successfully following one country, two systems.”He also warned about the economic fallout from the protests, saying “trade relationships have turned complicated in recent months and are getting severe.”More train stations closed (8 a.m.)Amid planned protests on Tuesday, subway operator MTR Corp. announced additional station closures as a “prudent measure to ensure the safety of passengers and our staff.” The operator said the Causeway Bay, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Sha Tin, Che Kung Temple, Tsuen Wan West and Tuen Mun stations would be closed from 11 a.m. The transit company had earlier said that the central Admiralty and Wan Chai stations, as well as Kowloon’s Prince Edward station, would remain closed.Flag raising ceremony (8 a.m.)Riot cops guarded an early morning flag-raising ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in the center of the city amid worries that protesters would try and disrupt the event. Lam left the event to her number 2 official, chief secretary Cheung, after announcing that she would travel to Beijing for the festivities.Subway closures (10:45 p.m.)The MTR Corp. announced various subway closures on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon ahead of the Oct. 1 protests. The transit company said its trains would not stop at the city’s central Admiralty and Wan Chai stops or the Prince Edward station on the other side of the harbor.\--With assistance from Aaron Mc Nicholas.To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Annie Lee in Hong Kong at olee42@bloomberg.net;James Mayger in Beijing at jmayger@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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