Chinese state leader tells Hong Kong politicians to support local government in tackling problems, but is there a hidden message for city chief?
- Vice-Premier Han Zheng also urges Hong Kong’s pro-establishment camp to help government further integrate city with the nation’s development plans
- Analysts say that while these are requirements for local politicians, Han has also effectively updated Beijing’s expectations of the city’s leader
A mainland Chinese state leader has urged Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing camp to support the local government in tackling deep-seated problems and boosting the economy, as well as in further integrating the city with the nation’s development plans.
Analysts and lawmakers said that while these were requirements for pro-establishment politicians, Vice-Premier Han Zheng, the state leader overseeing Hong Kong affairs, had also effectively updated Beijing’s expectations of the city’s leader.
Hong Kong is expected to hold a leadership poll on May 8, when an 1,463-strong Election Committee stacked with Beijing loyalists will elect a chief executive to take office on July 1 for the next five years.
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Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said Han’s comments amounted to an oblique criticism of the incumbent chief executive and her government.
In a meeting on Sunday with Hong Kong delegates to the nation’s top advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Han had said that with the leadership election set for May, they had to examine candidates’ platforms and consider whether the hopefuls could resolve deep-rooted problems, such as the city’s housing shortage.
NPC deputy Chan Yung, spokesman for the Hong Kong group, said that while Han did not repeat the call on the need to examine manifestos, the leadership race and housing were recurring themes as the vice-premier listed his expectations of the delegates.