Reach out to the people, Hu tells embattled Tung

Chinese Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) urged Hong Kong's leader to reach out to the people yesterday after the territory's main pro-Beijing party suffered an election drubbing that threw it into disarray.

But Hu also praised Tung Chee-hwa's (董建華) embattled Beijing-backed government for its work in promoting social stability and economic development since July, when massive democracy protests plunged Hong Kong into crisis.

Hu, meeting Tung in Beijing, said he "hoped the Hong Kong SAR [Special Administrative Region] government will continue to strengthen its contacts with all levels of society, stick close to the people, understand the people's feelings, collect wisdom from the masses and unceasingly improve the level of public service," China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Their came a day after the chairman for the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong resigned after the party's severe defeat in late November polls.

The DAB's role as cheerleader for the government's unpopular policies contributed to its electoral rout. Some members now want the party to distance itself from Tung's administration.

The fall-out dealt another blow to the already shaky position of Tung's government. He was appointed by Beijing to run the former British colony, which returned to China in 1997.

Hong Kong was racked by the biggest protests since 1989 in July when 500,000 people hit the streets in a show of "people power" to decry a controversial security bill and demand more democracy.

The protests forced Tung to seek -- and win -- a fresh endorsement from Beijing two weeks later.

This time around Hu -- who has established himself by championing the people since in his first year at the helm of the Communist Party -- "fully affirmed" Tung's work, Xinhua said.

After hearing Tung report on his government's recent "self-examination," Hu expressed faith in the viability of the "one country, two systems" formula under which Beijing promised the territory a high degree of autonomy.

"Our principle and position are clear that the political system of the Hong Kong SAR must adhere to Hong Kong's Basic Law, set out from the realities of Hong Kong and develop gradually. We believe Hong Kong's society can reach consensus on this," Hu was quoted as saying.

There have been some calls for Tung's resignation following the July protests, but China views Hong Kong's economic woes as the driving force behind the protests, and was likely to continue supporting the unpopular leader, analysts said.