A tough Hong Kong leader will widen split, local NPC delegate warns in Beijing

Beijing should bear in mind that if a tough leader rules Hong Kong, the city will only become more divided and disharmonious, a Hong Kong deputy to the national legislature said on Monday.

Michael Tien Puk-sun’s remarks came a day after Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said that during his meeting with Zhang Dejiang, the state leader overseeing Hong Kong “fully affirmed” his work, including how his administration handled clashes between protesters and police in Mong Kong last month.

Tien is a deputy of New People’s Party chairwoman Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who is regarded as Leung’s key rival should the chief executive decide to seek re-election next year.

Speaking in the Hong Kong delegation’s discussion at the annual gathering in Beijing, Tien dismissed the claim put forward by many Beijing loyalists that the Mong Kok riot had nothing to do with Leung’s governance.

“The bloody clashes did not break out because the government’s thinking or policies [went wrong], but its approach needs to be reviewed,” Tien said. “Hong Kong is a highly developed and sophisticated society, and residents found it difficult to accept a hard-liner approach of governance.

“I sincerely hope that the central government make reference to my view: whoever assumes the post of chief executive, that person must understand that by hitting back at tough opponents with a tough approach, social divisions will escalate.”