HONG KONG (AP) — The flags of China and Hong Kong have been raised in a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of Chinese rule over Hong Kong.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and the territory's incoming chief executive Carrie Lam were among the dignitaries present for Saturday's outdoor ceremony at a harbor-side convention center.

A few streets away, a small group of pro-democracy protesters clashed with police and pro-China counter-protesters.

Police on Wednesday arrested 26 people after they climbed onto a giant flower sculpture symbolizing Hong Kong's reunification with China. Protesters fear Beijing's ruling Communist Party is eroding the financial center's civil liberties.

Xi will preside over Lam's inauguration before returning to Beijing later Saturday.

His three-day visit aimed at stirring Chinese patriotism in the former British colony people has prompted a massive police presence.