Umbrella ban in rainy Macau as Chinas president Xi Jinping arrives for visit
Protesters holding yellow umbrellas are stopped by police after trying to gain access to the area where President Xi Jinping is staying in Macau. Photograph: Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images
Xi Jinping has visited a drizzly Macau for the 15th anniversary of its return to China with onlookers barred from using umbrellas the emblem of democracy protests in nearby Hong Kong.
The Chinese presidents two-day trip to the former Portuguese enclave comes just days after Hong Kong police cleared the last of three camps where protesters had spent nearly three months demanding free leadership elections for the city.
But in the spirit of Hong Kongs Occupy movement which gripped the city from late September, hundreds of pro-democracy protesters are planning a march on Saturday from Macaus historic city centre.
Authorities were on guard on Friday for signs of dissent, with reporters at the airport waiting for Xi not allowed to hold umbrellas, and handed raincoats instead.
They said you couldnt open umbrellas at the airport because it would affect the flights, said a Hong Kong-based reporter who was among up to 40 journalists at the scene.
Another reporter said airport authorities had explained it was too windy to safely unfurl an umbrella.
Despite the light rain, no one in the official receiving party used them either.
However, dozens of enthusiastic elementary school pupils braved the cold weather to wave Chinese and Macau flags, and posies of flowers, to greet Xi.
The presidents visit is intended to drive home the message that the semi-autonomous territory needs to diversify away from casinos, which have seen revenues dive owing to a national anti-corruption drive and a stuttering economy
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Umbrella ban in rainy Macau as Chinas president Xi Jinping arrives for visit