Wen reiterates support for HK as delegates attend lavish dinner

Hong Kong's National Day delegation arrived in Beijing yesterday, greeted with special arrangements that members say reflect the importance attached to the city.

All the 212 local delegates were invited to a grand dinner hosted by the State Council in the Great Hall of the People last night, although originally only some were due to get the honour. The size of the delegation is also said to be indicative of how highly the central government regards the city.

'The number of delegates reflects that Hong Kong is particularly taken care of,' said Executive Council convenor Leung Chun-ying, who was attending in his capacity as a Standing Committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. '[Considering a population of] seven million people, we have so many CPPCC and National People's Congress members as well as people from various sectors joining in.'

Li Guikang , deputy director of the central government's liaison office, agreed that the size of the delegation demonstrated the state's concern for Hong Kong.

Premier Wen Jiabao , in a speech to 4,000 dinner guests, reiterated the government's support for Hong Kong and Macau. 'We are committed to the principle of 'one country, two systems' and the long-standing prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau.'

Frederick Fung Kin-kee, one of two pan-democrat legislators in the group, sat next to the liaison office's research chief, Cao Erbao. Fung said he had asked the official to arrange a meeting between pan-democrats and state officials to discuss cross-border issues and the city's constitutional reform. Cao said they could talk later.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen met People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan . He thanked the central bank for backing Hong Kong's renminbi business and said it would help the city maintain its status as an international financial centre.