Maintaining stability, improving livelihoods should take precedence over democratic development in Hong Kong, think tank leader says
- Tsinghua University law professor Wang Zhenmin says city has returned from chaos to stability after first Legislative Council poll under Beijing-imposed electoral overhaul
- Resources should be used to develop economy, improve people’s livelihoods as ‘strong economic and societal basis’ needed for city’s democratic development, Wang adds
A top mainland expert on Hong Kong affairs has emphasised that maintaining stability and improving people’s livelihoods should take precedence over democratic development in the city.
“The election after the overhaul focused more on livelihood issues – the issues that local people are most concerned about – but not [the] political chaos among politicians,” the Tsinghua University law professor said at a briefing on Beijing’s recent white paper on Hong Kong’s democratic development.
Wang also agreed that both the central government and Hong Kong had wasted a lot of time and resources over the years on the city’s democratic development.
“Hong Kong society has gone through a big turmoil and upheaval throughout a long period of time, but it ended up in political upheavals and delays in economic development and improvement of livelihood,” said Wang, the former legal affairs chief of Beijing’s liaison office in the city and vice-president of the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies.
“Hong Kong society needs time to recuperate and resources should be used to develop the economy and improve people’s livelihoods. A strong economic and societal basis is needed for Hong Kong’s democratic development,” Wang added.
On December 20, the State Council Information Office issued the “Hong Kong Democratic Progress Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems” white paper, which renewed the central government’s pledge to pursue the ultimate goal of electing the city’s leader and legislature by universal suffrage.