HONG KONG — Under swarms of security, beneath clouds threatening rain, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, marked the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China with a showcase of just how thoroughly he had transformed and subdued this once-freewheeling city.
The police goose-stepped in Chinese military fashion at a flag-raising ceremony and showed off new mainland-made armored vehicles. The city’s streets were empty of the protesters who traditionally gathered by the thousands each July…
