Hong Kong should 'work harder to ease cross-border tensions'
City officials are not doing enough to improve ‘internal diplomacy’ between Hongkongers and mainlanders, Beijing academic says
Hong Kong officials should make more effort to ease tension between Hongkongers and mainlanders through the use of mainland media and the internet, a leading academic says.
The advice came from Jiang Shigong, deputy director of Peking University's Centre for Hong Kong and Macau Studies, who said Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's work to step up the "homeland relationship" on his recent visit to Beijing was a step in the right direction.
"Hong Kong has suffered from inadequate efforts in handling 'internal diplomacy', or the 'homeland relationship' in the past few years," Jiang said.
The academic, who advises the central government on policies towards Hong Kong, said that mainlanders in the past generally had a positive perception of Hong Kong because of its freedom and rule of law.
"But a growing number of mainlanders are now unhappy with Hongkongers in the wake of limits on infant milk powder exports and the heavy stamp duty imposed on non-permanent residents buying property in Hong Kong," he said.
A growing number of mainlanders are now unhappy with Hongkongers in the wake of limits on infant milk powder exports and the heavy stamp duty imposed on non-permanent residents buying property
"Those restrictions go against the value of rule of law and freedom which mainlanders appreciate when they think about Hong Kong. Apart from meeting state leaders and central government ministers, senior Hong Kong officials should engage directly with mainlanders through mainland media and internet platforms such as weibo and chat rooms."