Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (梁振英) faced protests yesterday as he spoke out against the territory’s independence movement in his final policy address.
Leung is to step down in July after a four-year term marked by anti-Beijing rallies as fears grow that Chinese authorities are squeezing Hong Kong’s freedoms. Frustration at lack of political reform has sparked movements seeking self-determination or even independence for the territory, angering Chinese authorities.
As he struggled to start his speech due to heckling, some pro-democracy lawmakers held up signs depicting Leung as a monkey and calling him a “liar.”
Photo: EPA
“As we benefit from the opportunities brought by the development of our country and the national policies in our favor, we must clearly recognize that Hong Kong is an inalienable part of our country,” Leung said in the annual address.
“This is both a legal fact and an internationally recognized political reality, leaving no room whatsoever for Hong Kong to become independent or separate from the motherland in any manner,” he added.
Hong Kong residents must “safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” said Leung, who did not mention any plans for democratic reform, after a controversial Beijing-backed package was shelved following massive protests in 2014.
Amnesty International Hong Kong last week said human rights were at their worst since the territory was handed back to China by Britain in 1997, in the wake of the disappearance of five men linked to publishing house Mighty Current and its store, Causeway Bay Books, and interference by Beijing in a range of areas, from media to education.
The government has also been accused of a witch hunt after two pro-independence lawmakers were forced to give up their seats last year.
Four more pro-democracy legislators face a judicial review into whether they should be disqualified.
However, Leung said the territory still enjoys a high degree of autonomy and the chief executive pledged that his government would “uphold Hong Kong’s core values, including human rights, liberty, democracy, the rule of law and integrity.”
In an address which lasted more than two hours and mainly focused on economic and domestic issues, Leung framed the territory’s economic strategy within Beijing’s latest five-year plan and its “One Belt, One Road” initiative, which calls for constructing vast rail and infrastructure links connecting Chinese exporters to markets across Eurasia.
About 100 protesters gathered outside the Legislative Council, protesting over pension funds and workers’ rights.
Wealth inequality and perceived cosiness between politicians and the business elite is driving discontent.
Leung promised 460,000 new housing units in the next decade and a rise in the minimum wage.
However, he rejected the idea of a universal state pension — something campaigners have demanded for years.
In conclusion, the chief executive said his original election manifesto had been “basically implemented.”
“Hong Kong is a blessed land. We must cherish the blessing,” he said to applause.
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