Chen Zuoer says Hong Kong has nothing to fear from white paper
Chen Zuoer, former No 2 official for Hong Kong policy, says there is no way Beijing will move to take back powers from the city
A former mainland official responsible for Hong Kong and Macau affairs has dismissed fears that Beijing intends to tighten its control over the city.
Referring to the State Council's white paper on Hong Kong, released last week, Chen Zuoer , a former deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said the document only summed up what Beijing had done since the 1997 handover.
"There is nothing to worry about. There is no question of the central government getting back powers from Hong Kong," said Chen, who was in the city yesterday to attend a seminar hosted by the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, a think tank of which he is chairman.
While saying Beijing was determined to uphold the "one country, two systems" formula, Chen said "one country" and "two systems" were not equal. "It is only under the framework of 'one country' that the 'two systems' is implemented," he said.
Chen said some Hongkongers had not yet identified with the country.
"There are still some people in Hong Kong who have not fully adapted to the [reunification]," he said. "Especially, they do not have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the 'one country, two systems' policy.
"The territory is reunified. But there is still a long way to see reunification of people's hearts."