Vice-President Zeng Qinghong moved to bolster the authority of the beleaguered Tung administration when he met a delegation from the pro-Beijing flagship in Hong Kong on Saturday.
Speaking to leaders of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, Mr Zeng indicated that one of the four essentials for Hong Kong was to 'uphold the authority' of the special administrative region government under the leadership of Tung Chee-hwa.
The three other 'musts,' he said, were an adherence to the 'one country, two systems' policies, giving trust to and relying on the wisdom of Hong Kong people to revitalise the economy, and holding a firm belief that the mainland would continue to secure Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.
The meeting between Mr Zeng and the DAB delegation, led by its chairman Tsang Yok-sing, was part of an ongoing drive by the Chinese government to bolster support for the Tung government in the aftermath of the July 1 public furore.
Asked whether Mr Zeng's remarks had implied that the SAR government was too weak, Mr Tsang replied: 'Why did you draw such a conclusion?' It was a matter of course that the government's authority must be upheld, because Hong Kong was executive-led, said Mr Tsang, who sits on the Executive Council.
If the Tung cabinet had held out any hope that Mr Zeng's plea would ease their political predicament, events over the past few days have been a stark reminder of the grim reality in the post-July political scene. On Monday, the DAB told Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen that they were opposed to the proposed levy on border crossings. Mooted by then financial secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen in his 2000-01 budget, the new tax was given the go-ahead by his successor, Antony Leung Kam-chung following lengthy public consultation.
The $1 billion revenue the border tax would generate is insignificant compared to the forecast $68 billion budget deficit this year. But it is seen as a showcase for the government's capacity to broaden the revenue base in a bid, albeit a token one, to rein in the deficit by the 2006-07 financial year.