Xi ‘sent a reminder’ to Hong Kong over Beijing’s hard line on city

Lau Siu-kai says mainland officials want to remind city residents that their semi-autonomy is dependent on respect for Communist Party rule

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Xi Jinping praised Carrie Lam’s ‘good start’ as Hong Kong chief executive. Photo: Handout

Published: 1:38pm, 16 Dec 2017Updated: 6:21pm, 16 Dec 2017

Xi Jinping’s praise for Hong Kong’s leader learning about the Communist Party congress report was to remind residents of his hardline principles on the city and that its semi-autonomy is contingent on respect for the party, a leading Beijing adviser on Hong Kong affairs said on Saturday.

Lau Siu-kai noted that mainland officials had recently grown less restrained in asserting the party’s authority over the city.

The analysis of Lau, vice-chairman of The Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, a semi-official think tank, came a day after Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor met the Chinese president on her first duty visit to Beijing on Friday.

In his brief opening speech in front of reporters, Xi praised Lam for leading her team of senior officials to attend a talk on the Communist Party’s 19th congress report. He also praised Lam for “a good start” and “fostering stability”.

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Xi was referring to a seminar last month for 240 Hong Kong officials that featured a speech by senior party theoretician Leng Rong, in which Leng explained the report that Xi gave to the party’s twice-a-decade congress.

“[Xi’s remarks were] to remind the government to fully understand the Chinese Communist Party’s governing principle towards Hong Kong,” Lau told a radio programme on Saturday morning.