A glimpse of Guangdong is vindication of my stand
I consider this is a vindication of all that I have been doing in the past. In my heart, I think everything I said and I did was for the best interest of Hong Kong. And I still hold firm to my principles. I never gave in and I am now invited on this trip, even though it is only to Guangdong and not to Beijing.
I think it should be an example for all people in Hong Kong that they should never give up anything if they believe it is in the best interests of Hong Kong. This includes the fight for democracy.
This trip shows that we should continue to stand firm on our principles. If I had given up my fight for Hong Kong because of the unreasonable attacks on me by Beijing in the past - such as saying I have bad-mouthed Hong Kong - then it would be a very sad thing indeed.
I have only seen a small part of China, since we are only in Guangdong, and I have only seen what I was allowed to see and what has been shown to me. I can certainly see a lot of developments in Guangdong. Certainly, it has made huge progress with the blessing of Beijing. I think it will overtake Hong Kong very soon in terms of economic development.
But we have something that I don't believe they have, and that is the rule of law. My view is firmer than ever that Hong Kong has to maintain and consolidate the rule of law. The rule of law is the best thing we have in Hong Kong.
