Whatever Beijing does, 'one country, two systems' must be preserved

At two critical junctures for Hong Kong since the handover, Beijing has invited delegations of the city's elite to receptions hosted by the president to reaffirm support for "one country, two systems". Two things set this week's visit apart from the 2003 meeting to rally backing for chief executive Tung Chee-hwa. This time the city was represented not just by tycoons - the elite of the elite - but also by Beijing supporters in the commercial, industrial and professional sectors. It was a more inclusive attempt to build a united front and bridge divisions among the city's business leaders and professionals amid heated debate over its political future. The second thing was that simultaneously, thousands of students thronged Chinese University's campus to launch week-long class boycotts in protest at Beijing's decision on political reform.

The students are to be complimented for their spirit in expressing their aspirations for more democracy. It is in keeping with generations of campus activism. Indeed, some of the elite invited to Beijing may have been swept up in it once. Beijing is most unlikely to budge in the face of their demands. Nonetheless, President Xi Jinping's assurance that "one country, two systems" will remain unchanged is welcome.

As more detail and nuance emerge of the hour-and-40-minute meeting in Beijing, it is clear that Xi delivered a broader message than just rallying support for the administration. Beijing is concerned about the city's economic development becoming a casualty of political division. Xi is said to have recalled that Hong Kong was once one of Asia's "little dragons", but economic and livelihood issues had lagged behind the focus on political reform. It is clear Beijing wants to see long-term economic planning, and looks to a broad elite to help the city and central governments give it priority. In other words, we need to focus on the economy and not get sidetracked by political discussion. That is a challenging assignment to the new united front, given that "two systems" is defined by Hong Kong's pluralistic freedoms.

Xi expressed hope that "Hong Kong, under the leadership of the central government and under the stewardship of the chief executive, can continue to advance and create a better future". The city's economic development may ultimately depend on the mainland and integration with China. But "one country, two systems" must be preserved. Whatever role Beijing wants to play, it has to be within the confines of that concept.