Chinese President Xi arrives in Hong Kong for handover anniversary- state TV

HONG KONG, June 30 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday for events to celebrate 25 years since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule and the inauguration of the city's new leader John Lee, state media reported.

Xi's visit, via high-speed rail, is his first to the city since 2017 and the first known trip outside mainland China in over two years amid the COVID-19 epidemic. (Writing by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Toby Chopra)