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City Beat
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  • Xia Baolong, director of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, has economic focus for seven-day visit and will report back on city’s pulse after gauging public feedback
  • His message so far has been loud and clear, assuring the city of Beijing’s support and welcoming business sector’s contributions

While Hong Kong must operate as part of the nation, its high degree of autonomy also offers the chance to show the mainland what responses to the pandemic work.

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Unique governing formula will mean ‘stick’ as well as ‘carrot’ if Beijing’s sovereignty is not recognised, but the telling story of Hong Kong is that one country, or ‘one China’ prevails, like it or not.

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State media has denied any Chinese version of a Robin Hood-style approach to wealth inequality, but message to city is loud and clear: it cannot rely on real estate to be its engine for future development.

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The HK$7.5 million awarded to fencer Edgar Cheung for bringing home the city’s first gold in 25 years may seem like a princely sum, but even modestly sized flats can go for much more.

Promotion of tough security officials to the top of government reflects Beijing’s determination to transform civil service culture from political neutrality to patriotism.

New bill ensuring only ‘patriots’ govern Hong Kong effectively signals an end to big business’ influence in shaping policies, but it does not mean a quick fix for deep-rooted livelihood issues, particularly the city’s housing problem.

In recent days, city leader Carrie Lam’s administration has had to make two major policy reversals that could have been avoided. Now, it needs to reflect on how to grow out of its habitual Hong Kong-centric thinking.

The year-long anti-government protests and street violence of 2019 finally broke the back of any remaining patience Beijing might have had. But while the opposition bloc’s future remains uncertain, there are tougher challenges ahead for their pro-establishment rivals too.

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Whether Joe Biden adopts a harder or softer approach to China, or maintains the status quo, it’s not going to matter much to how Beijing calibrates its Hong Kong policy.

As Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s trip to Beijing showed, the days of receiving preferential treatment are over. The city will have to rebuild its ‘can do’ spirit and leverage its role in the Greater Bay Area, which will require strong leadership.

Luo Huining’s job request for unemployed man he visited raised eyebrows, but was it a sign that central government sent a senior party official to supervise Chief Executive Carrie Lam?