Wang Yi heaps praise on CY Leung as a patriot on his final duty visit to Beijing
Foreign Minister Wang Yi calls chief executive a patriot as first day of three-day trip sheds little light on Beijing’s thinking on city’s next leader
Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying kicked off his final duty visit to Beijing with a call on two ministers who affirmed the city’s standing as an international hub. But day one of the three-day trip gave little away on Beijing’s thinking about the forthcoming chief executive race.
All eyes will now be not only on Leung’s official meetings on Friday with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, but also a high-profile press conference that Hong Kong’s No 2 official, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, will chair in the historic Forbidden City.
Lam will unveil plans to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover on July 1 next year – the day after Leung steps down as chief executive.
As Leung’s trusted aide, Lam vowed to consider joining the race as soon as he made a surprise announcement earlier this month not to seek re-election.
Amid speculation that Leung had lost Beijing’s favour, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as the first central government official to meet him since his announcement, praised the chief executive on Thursday as a patriot.
“The chief executive is young and talented,” he said of the 62-year-old Leung in the opening minutes of the meeting that were open to the media. “You love the country as well as Hong Kong.”