China's Xi Jinping says Hong Kong 'risen from the ashes' amid crackdown on dissent

This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission. Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday ahead of the 25th anniversary of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rule, saying the city had "risen from the ashes" under a draconian national security law that left former opposition lawmakers under house arrest and journalists shut out of official events. "Hong Kong has withstood challenge after challenge and won many a battle in recent years," Xi told a crowd who turned out to greet him waving national flags and cheering, at the start of what observers…