Smiles on one side, protests on the other as Zhang Dejiang arrives for Hong Kong visit
National People’s Congress chairman lands in Hong Kong offering praise for Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and vowing to listen to locals
Hong Kong put on a rapturous official welcome for Zhang Dejiang on Tuesday while police kept guerilla-style protests at bay as the state leader began his three-day visit to the city by endorsing Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s leadership as “satisfactory”.
It was all smiles when Zhang stepped off his plane at midday, as a beaming Leung and his top cabinet members laid out the red carpet for the chairman of the National People’s Congress.
In his opening remarks at the airport, Beijing’s top official in charge of Hong Kong affairs said he was in the city to see, listen and learn.
That was followed by a closed-door meeting with Leung at government headquarters in Admiralty which, in an unexpected move, was shared with the public through the release of a video clip.
In a carefully calibrated speech, Zhang said President Xi Jinping had already given his “full endorsement” to Leung during his annual duty visit to the capital last December.
“The central government is satisfied with the work of the chief executive and of the SAR government,” Zhang said.