In Pictures: Flags at half-mast in Hong Kong as Beijing cremates ex-premier Li Keqiang
Hong Kong Free Press
Flags at the Hong Kong government headquarters and some official premises were lowered to half-mast on Thursday, as Beijing cremated former Chinese premier Li Keqiang whose death was announced by state media last Friday.
The Chinese national flags and the regional Hong Kong flags displayed at the Central Government Offices, in Tamar, outside Government House, and at all border control points and the Hong Kong International Airport were flown at half staff on Friday.
According to a government statement issued on Wednesday, the arrangement was made on Beijing’s notification and was a token of mourning for the late premier of the State Council.
State-run news agency Xinhua reported last Friday that the former number two Chinese official had suffered a heart attack on Thursday and passed away in Shanghai just after midnight. He was 68 years old.
Li, a reform-minded bureaucrat who spoke fluent English, was once tipped for the top leadership role of the Chinese Communist Party. He was side-lined in recent years after serving a decade as China’s second-in-command and officially retired in March.
On Thursday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping led Premier Li Qiang, the Politburo Standing Committee and Vice-President Han Zheng to pay final tributes to the late premier at a cemetery in Beijing, Xinhua reported. Ex-Chinese leader Hu Jintao sent a floral wreath to express condolences for the passing of Li, according to the report.
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