Hong Kong policymakers told to take account of China's views

A confidential Executive Council memo that requires all future policy proposals to factor in the likely mainland reaction has sparked concern that the government is putting mainland interests ahead of Hong Kong's.

One government administrative officer called the memo "odd", and said colleagues were stunned when they received it early this month. A ruling that the assessment be omitted from papers submitted to lawmakers has prompted further questions.

Executive councillor and lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee said that as recent policies had courted criticism from the mainland, "it would be reasonable to remind civil servants that they should do such an assessment".

The memo comes amid heightened Hong Kong-mainland tensions, with Leung Chun-ying's administration facing mainlanders' criticism for policies that affect their interests, especially a limit on baby-formula exports of two cans per person per day to stop rampant buying up of supplies by parallel-goods traders who smuggle the milk over the border.

"From June 1, an assessment on mainland perception and related public relations measures will become … mandatory … for all Policy Committee papers and Executive Council submissions", the document, leaked to Apple Daily, reads. It was issued to administrative officers by the Executive Council secretariat on May 2, an officer told the South China Morning Post.

"When we saw the memo, we nearly fell off our chairs. It's just odd," the officer, who preferred not to be named, said.

He said he doubted the need for the requirement, as it was usual practice to put assessments of different stakeholders' reactions under a "public reaction" chapter in policy papers.