Chinese President arrives in Hong Kong for handover anniversary

China and Kong Hong national flags are displayed outside a shopping centre in Hong Kong. Photo / AP

China's President Xi Jinping has arrived in Hong Kong to mark its 20th anniversary of Chinese rule as the city went into lockdown with a massive security blanket ahead of celebrations and protests on Saturday.

Britain returned Hong Kong to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula which guarantees wide-ranging autonomy and judicial independence not seen in mainland China.

Tensions between Hong Kong and China have intensified amid concern and resentment over Beijing's growing interference in the former British colony.

Xi was greeted by supporters waving red Hong Kong and Chinese flags after his Air China plane touched down for the three-day visit.

The trip culminates with Xi overseeing an inauguration ceremony for the Asian financial hub's new leader, Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong authorities were taking no chances with disruptions from protesters and deployed heavy security across the city. Police and barricades lined the streets around a downtown convention centre and hotel complex where Xi was expected to spend most of his time.

Three pro-democracy activist groups said 26 of their members were arrested on public nuisance charges for staging a sit-in at a giant flower sculpture near the complex.

Those arrested included Joshua Wong, the young activist who helped lead 2014's "Umbrella Movement" protests, and Nathan Law, another student protest leader who was elected to the legislature last year.

Activists hang a black cloth with "Release Liu Xiaobo unconditionally, Hong Kong people want genuine universal suffrage", on a giant flower statue bequeathed by Beijing in 1997. Photo / AP

- Reuters, AAP, AP