Lawmakers said they wanted to create a regular communication channel with mainland officials, as they completed a four-day visit to examine environmental protection and economic developments in Guangdong. While Legislative Council president Tsang Yok-sing, who led the 25-member delegation, said overall arrangements for the trip were satisfactory, pan-democrats criticised the provincial government for not listening to their political views. Speaking before returning to Hong Kong from Zhuhai, Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan compared the tour with a previous Legco visit to the province, in 2005, during which 59 legislators met Guangdong's then party secretary Zhang Dejian . 'The way the Guangdong government received us this time was obviously a retreat from 2005.' He said he was disappointed that lawmakers' requests to meet Guangdong party secretary Wang Yang or governor Huang Huahua were declined, and that vice-governor Wan Qingliang refused to respond to political questions. During a Sunday meeting Albert Chan Wai-yip, of the League of Social Democrats, asked Mr Wan to channel Hongkongers' demands that June 4 democracy protesters be vindicated to Beijing. Mr Wan declined to comment. Later, during a lunch gathering, Mr Ho also failed to get an answer when he asked the vice-governor to help pan-democrats obtain home return permits. 'We pledged not to display any banner or chant any slogan ... but still the vice-governor talked for a long time and did not allow sufficient time for us to speak,' Mr Ho said. Mr Tsang said pan-democrats' questions had highlighted the problem that legislators had very few opportunities to communicate with mainland officials. 'I think there is a need to regularise and normalise exchanges,' Mr Tsang said. 'If normal exchanges can take place at a work level, then these problems will not appear again. For example, if we frequently come to discuss environmental or economic issues, then legislators won't be demanding answers to political questions every time.' But Mr Tsang said no provincial official had agreed to build a regular liaison mechanism with Legco. He believed it would take some time before arrangements could be set up. 'The relationship between Hong Kong's legislature and mainland government departments under 'one country, two systems' is still a new issue. I think it is very much worth exploring,' he said. He said the tour had basically satisfied the group. 'Provincial officials have addressed Legco members' questions, and I didn't find their answers any worse than those Hong Kong SAR government officials give us at Legco question-and-answer sessions,' Mr Tsang said.
