Chief executive candidate Tung Chee-hwa has urged Hong Kong people to be alert to 'international forces' trying to use the territory in a campaign to isolate China. He said people should look beyond the territory and understand the global influences before speaking out on China issues. Mr Tung cited an internal paper from an authoritative US-based think-tank, which last year advocated the isolation of China after concluding that 'a strong China is not good and will affect peace in the region'. 'If you were sitting in Beijing, what would you do?' Mr Tung said in a wide-ranging interview with a group of English-language media. 'The good news is that in June this year, many from the same think-tank had thought things through and then declared that the world 'must engage constructively with China'.' Mr Tung said Hong Kong people had a role to play in helping to convince the international community: 'You are wrong, China is not a threat to peace.' Without identifying the forces working against China, Mr Tung said: 'These are not the mainstream, but they are there. There's a threat there. 'The important thing is that we do not become part of that. I'm not saying we are. But we need to be careful.' Asked about remarks made by Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen over freedom of expression and demonstrations, Mr Tung said it would not be easy to balance the need to be alert to threatening forces and the freedom of expression. 'But I believe in the commonsense of Hong Kong people. They know what is important and what the community needs as a whole. I'm quite confident.' He said the chief executive and SAR government were obliged to preserve existing freedoms, such as freedom of speech and demonstration. 'It's not just because it's part of our life, but important for our success in future.' June 4 commemorative activities would be allowed if they were lawful and peaceful, he said. He indicated clearly he would nominate Chief Secretary Anson Chan Fang On-sang to be his top aide. 'I'm delighted that she said she will stay on. If I succeed, I'll work with her very closely.' He hinted strongly that there would be no drastic changes to the present line-up of policy secretaries. Asked if outsiders would be given top posts, he said: 'Stability is very important. On a bigger basis, meritocracy is important, but at this moment, we need stability.' He said he had not been approached by people who asked for political returns in exchange for their help in securing votes for him in the Selection Committee. 'No. I lived in the US and UK. I see all this bargaining. It's not just a Hong Kong issue, it's all over the world. Politics is politics. This is part of the process of democracy. 'The important thing is that you've got to stand by your principles. Once you start bargaining like this, you don't have the trust and credibility.'