“The argument that the central government is trying to turn Hong Kong into mainland [China], or to turn “one country, two systems” into “one country, one system” is totally baseless”, Zhang told a banquet in his honor.
Advertisement
Before concluding a three-day trip to the city, Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, said it is in the interests of Hong Kong people that everyone respects the one country principle and the city’s mini-constitution.
Some political experts in Hong Kong have described Zhang’s remarks on Wednesday as ‘highly one-sided, ‘ addressing concerns of only China and not people of Hong Kong. If Hong Kong does well, everyone would benefit.
The Chief Executive’s Office said the government “is willing to create different opportunities for lawmakers, including the pan-democrats, to have exchanges with central government officials on the country’s and Hong Kong’s affairs”. “Who’ll pay the bill for you?”
Hong Kong police had no immediate comment. “At the same time, Hong Kong must do more to actively participate in the country’s development”.
Also telling was the fact that the Leung administration mobilized as many as 8,000 police officers to make sure that Zhang could neither see nor hear protesters. This, in a place where demonstrations are nearly a way of life.
“Throw that away, and Hong Kong will be done for”.
HKNP convenor Chan Ho-tin told RFA on Thursday that recent media polls suggest that some 14 percent of Hong Kong people support the idea of independence.
All people are equal before law and no one is above it; anyone breaking the law should be held accountable, he said. “I wanted to impress upon him the urgency of the matter, and for the reaction he gave some standard replies”.
Calling the meeting historic, Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said Zhang is very familiar with Hong Kong affairs.
Zhang, who is 69 and due to retire at the CCP’s 19th congress next year, did try to reach out to pro-democracy politicians during a half-hour meeting over cocktails with members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.
As social and economic development is of great importance for improving people’s quality of life and maintaining Hong Kong’s worldwide prestige, society should shift its focus back to boosting Hong Kong’s development, Zhang said.
Seeing Mr Zhang off at the airport apron was the Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung.
“Self-determination, independence: none of it will work”, Zhang said. Indeed, on more than one occasion, Zhang expressed support for Leung, as well as his team, in running Hong Kong.
“It is not a question of localism, it is an effort to separate the city from China under the name of localism”, he added, saying society should “strongly condemn” actions that breach the rule of law.
Zhang Dejiang is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
The clash was the first serious conflict during Zhang’s three-day visit, in large part because Hong Kong authorities had worked diligently to project an illusion of political peace. Hong Kong authorities rolled out a massive security operation on Tuesday as they braced for protests during a top Beijing official’s visit to the semiautonomous city, where tensions are rising over Chinese rule.
Chan rejected recent warnings from Hong Kong officials that those who advocate something not contained in the Basic Law might be targeted for criminal prosecution, in spite of free speech protections hard-wired into the city’s mini-constitution.
But with the Chinese economy slowing, the development initiative appears to have been temporarily put on the back burner. A-shares are shares denominated in domestic currency (i.e., yuan) and are available only to local investors.
Advertisement
Zhang Dejiang, who is now on a three-day visit to Hong Kong, is the first high-ranking Chinese leader to visit Hong Kong since pro-democracy movement broke out in 2014.
