Diversity gives city its vitality, but keep debate rational, CPPCC chief advises
State leader Jia Qinglin last night urged Hong Kong people to focus their energies on economic development and set aside their differences.
The chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference said that only by focusing on economic development could Hong Kong retain its global competitive edge and avoid the risk of becoming marginalised.
The appeal from the head of the top mainland advisory body came a day after former chief secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang remarked that recent impediments had made people lose confidence in Beijing.
Yesterday Mrs Chan denied the remark was meant as a challenge to the central government. But she returned to the theme, saying one of the reasons Hong Kong people had lost confidence in the promise of 'one country, two systems' was the pronouncements of mainland Basic Law scholars Wang Zhenmin and Xu Chongde .
The scholars caused a stir recently when they set out six reasons Hong Kong was not ready for universal suffrage.
Mr Jia said diversity was the source of Hong Kong's vitality and it was normal for people to hold different views on certain issues.