Hong Kong scientists told to love China if they want state support, but leader Carrie Lam calls President Xi Jinping’s offer ‘breakthrough’
City’s chief executive hails initiative to foster local scientific minds but is forced to defend stipulation that beneficiaries ‘love the country and Hong Kong’
Plans by President Xi Jinping to offer Hong Kong scientists greater access to state funding are a “breakthrough” and underscore the central government’s support for grooming local talent, the city’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday.
But Lam was forced to defend language used in directives issued by the president which said Beijing would only assist scientists who “love the country and Hong Kong”.
Critics expressed fears such conditions would compromise the freedom of scientific researchers, with local lawmaker Charles Mok, who represents the IT sector in Hong Kong’s legislature, saying they could lead to a politicisation of the field.
Lam however said such stipulations were “nothing unusual”.
“I think this is only a matter of terminology,” Lam said ahead of a weekly meeting of the Executive Council, her body of senior policy advisers.
