China’s third-ranked Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Zhang Dejiang (張德江) said Hong Kong should not “politicize everything” and should instead focus on integrating its economy with China’s, according to members of the National People’s Congress who met with him yesterday.
A day after Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) pledged greater economic support for Hong Kong at the opening of annual parliamentary sessions in Beijing, Zhang said that while a recent riot in Hong Kong was a concern, it was one the territory’s government could handle.
“He [Zhang] said one needed to take a broader perspective to look at it, and to not politicize everything,” said Rita Fan (范徐麗泰), a former Hong Kong legislator who is now a member of the NPC Standing Committee.
Chinese media has blamed the riot early last month on “radical separatists” seeking to destabilize Hong Kong.
Other delegates who met with Zhang said that while Zhang did not single out anyone for blame, there remained concern among Beijing’s top leaders toward an embittered cluster of youth groups in Hong Kong using increasingly radical or violent means to demand greater autonomy.
Reuters was not able to contact Zhang for comment.
“They worry about the rise of separatism,” said Lau Siu-kai (劉兆佳), a former senior Hong Kong government adviser who met with Zhang on Friday with other members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a top parliamentary advisory body.
“If something big happens in Hong Kong that is seen as threatening national security, I don’t expect China to wait, they may take the initiative to protect national security,” Lau said.
As for the disappearances of five men linked to a Hong Kong publishing house that published gossipy books of China’s leaders, the issue was not raised by Zhang despite lingering questions about the cases.
All of the booksellers recently surfaced to give interviews on Chinese television saying they had travelled voluntarily to China, but the British government maintains one of the men, Lee Bo (李波), a shareholder of Causeway Bay Books (銅鑼灣圖書), had been “involuntarily removed” from Hong Kong.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said its law enforcement officials would never do anything illegal, especially not overseas, and called on foreign governments not to interfere in Hong Kong affairs.
“Even me, I still have some doubts ... most of the middle class actually have serious concerns,” Ma Fung-kwok (馬逢國), a member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and an NPC delegate, said in a Beijing hotel lobby. “If someone broke the Basic Law and tried to do illegal enforcement in Hong Kong territory, this is something that shouldn’t be allowed... Even if it’s Chinese police.”
Still, Andrew Yao Cho Fai (姚祖輝), a Hong Kong businessman and NPC member, said such concerns were overplayed, with Beijing intent to maintain Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
“I don’t see a pivot to a police state where they can come arrest us,” Yao said.
Li emphasized in his annual work report that Beijing would continue to “elevate” Hong Kong’s role in China’s economic development.
China’s updated draft five-year development blueprint also mentioned a so-called “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau big bay area” to boost economic synergies, as well as business and transport linkages between Hong Kong and southern China.
“He [Zhang] is saying ‘look ... don’t get politicized in all your social and economic issues, concentrate on developing your economy, ride with the tide of China rising,’” said Maria Tam (譚惠珠), a veteran Hong Kong delegate to the NPC.
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