China says Hong Kong has regained stability

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) said yesterday he was pleased to see Hong Kong had gradually stabilized following a political crisis which arose from mass protests earlier this year.

Wen told Hong Kong media while attending the ASEAN meeting on Bali that he was also happy to see the territory's economy heading toward recovery.

"Hong Kong has a bright future as long as we are united," he said, adding he was "full of confidence" in the territory.

Wen also reiterated the central government's "firm belief" that the people of Hong Kong could rule the region better under the "one country, two systems" policy which has allowed it to retain high autonomy since its 1997 handover from British rule.

However, Wen said Hong Kong must "go through gradual democratization" so that the basic rights of the people guaranteed under the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini constitution, could be safeguarded.

An unprecedented protest by 500,000 people on July 1 against a proposed national security bill threw Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's (董建華) government into its worst political crisis since 1997. The political fallout forced Tung last month to scrap the bill indefinitely.

Tung, meanwhile, yesterday survived a motion calling for his resignation for not introducing democratic reforms -- the third no-confidence motion against his administration this year.

Pro-government legislators defeated the motion by 31 votes to 21 in the Legislative Council.

It said there had been "retrogression in human rights, the rule of law and economic development in Hong Kong" under Tung.

It also said the "democratization of the political system has remained stagnant" under Tung, prompting repeated public demands for him to step down.

Analysts had believed the motion had little chance of being passed, but it sparked strong debate for and against Tung in the lawmaking body's first meeting of the new legislative year.

It was moved by pro-democracy legislator Emily Lau, head of the Frontier alliance of pro-democratic legislators.

Lau said Tung had not adhered to wishes of the people for him to step down after he was forced to shelve indefinitely the security bill.

Before yesterday's vote several groups, including the Frontier alliance and radical April Fifth Movement, staged noisy protests outside the legislature calling for Tung to step down and demanding universal suffrage to elect the next chief executive.