Tung the peacemaker?
The olive branch being held out by the democratic camp, in particular by legislator Lau Chin-shek, could well mark a major turning point in the 15-year standoff with the central government.
Of course, it is too early to say whether Beijing will reciprocate and whether there will be any dialogue, but already there is a noticeable lowering of the political temperature. There may well be little progress between now and the Legislative Council election in September, but the chances appear slightly better that, after September, there may be a breakthrough.
One idea that has been proposed is for Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa to lead all the members of the newly elected legislature to Beijing to meet central government officials. Mr Tung has already promised to do what he can to help persuade Beijing to lift the ban on leaders of the democratic camp visiting the mainland, but he can certainly do a lot more.
In this connection, Mr Tung deserves credit for the role he has already played in bringing about the improved environment. After all, for the last four years, he has helped Mr Lau return to Guangzhou to visit his elderly mother. Mr Lau, a core member of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China - the body that organises the annual June 4 candlelit vigils - had been barred from the mainland, along with most leading pro-democracy figures, since 1989.
However, in 2000, with the help of Mr Tung and the then chief secretary, Anson Chan Fang On-sang, he was able to visit his mother. Since then, he has gone to see his mother, who is now 97, every year. However, each visit has to be specially arranged, as he still does not have a regular re-entry permit - the document used by most people in Hong Kong to visit the mainland.
Although Mr Lau insists that his change in stance does not stem from his desire to be able to continue visiting his mother, Szeto Wah, chairman of the alliance, clearly thinks otherwise. 'Maybe Lau Chin-shek can communicate better with Beijing because he has been able to visit his mother in Guangzhou,' he said. 'I wish him good luck.'
It remains to be seen to what extent Mr Lau will be able to influence the other members of the democratic camp. So far, he seems to have failed to persuade the organisers of the July 1 march to drop the slogan: 'Return power to the people'.
He explained that calling for an end to one-party rule in China does not mean calling for the overthrow of the Communist Party, since the party can be returned to power by the electorate, even if there are competing parties. In fact, Mr Lau shocked a few people by saying that, if such elections are held, he would probably vote for the Communist Party.
But the desire to seek a rapprochement with Beijing is clearly not limited to Mr Lau. Former Democratic Party chairman Martin Lee Chu-ming - deeply distrusted by Beijing - will move a motion in Legco next week calling on the public to join hands with the central government to truly implement 'one country, two systems'.
That debate will provide a forum for individual members of the pro-democratic camp to show whether they, too, favour making overtures to Beijing. At the same time, it will provide an opportunity for pro-Beijing legislators to show whether they view the move as sincere or, as some people have already said, merely an election gambit.
Mr Tung has an important role to play as the main point of contact between Hong Kong and the central government. But regardless of what happens from here on, Mr Tung deserves credit for the thaw in the political climate.
Frank Ching is a Hong Kong-based journalist and commentator
