White paper 'was a failure of communication with Hong Kong'

The reaction in Hong Kong to a white paper on the "one country, two systems" policy showed that Beijing needed to learn to communicate better with the city, said a mainland source who was involved in the document's drafting process.

The white paper was intended to explain central government policies and principles directly to Hongkongers, the source said, adding: "Judging from the reaction in the past few weeks, it has fallen short of the central government's expectations."

The source said: "A substantial number of people are worried that Beijing intends to tighten its grip on Hong Kong and even take back some power from Hong Kong. That is actually wrong.

"But there is a need for the central government to improve its communications with Hongkongers in future. There is room for improvement in how we present messages.

"How can we explain our stances in a manner and style Hongkongers deem more acceptable?"

The white paper, issued by the State Council on June 10, stresses the central government's "comprehensive jurisdiction" over Hong Kong, and says the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by the city is subject to Beijing's oversight.

It adds that some people in Hong Kong are "confused and lopsided" in their understanding of the "one country, two systems" policy.