Silence no longer golden as Beijing heralds Communist Party’s key role in Hong Kong
- Symposium discussing party’s implementation of ‘one country, two systems’ principle in city a far cry from scrupulously low-key approach maintained by central government for decades
- Nearly 24 years after the handover, analysts now agree Beijing believes it’s more important to underscore its ‘comprehensive jurisdiction’ over Hong Kong
Beijing’s high-profile gesture of holding a symposium on the Communist Party and its implementation of Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” principle on Saturday stood in stark contrast to the low-key approach it had employed in the city for decades.
“We firmly believe that as the motherland marches towards a great modern socialist country, Hong Kong compatriots will have a heightened sense of belonging to the motherland, a stronger sense of identification with the party and a stronger sense of pride in being Chinese,” he said.
Luo was addressing a forum titled “The Communist Party of China and the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ model” on Saturday.
The speech, made ahead of the party’s centenary anniversary, was delivered to more than 600 senior figures in Hong Kong public life, including principal officials, lawmakers and businessmen, as well as local delegates to the top legislature, the National People’s Congress, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the nation’s top advisory body.