Hong Kong under ‘one country, one system’? Quash such talk, Beijing’s top man in city says as he urges residents to counter West’s smearing
- Zheng Yanxiong, newly appointed director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city, calls for more effort from local administration to tell the good story of Hong Kong
- He warns that the struggle with anti-China forces is not over in city
Officials must do more to let the world know Hong Kong is back and quash a wrong perception gaining ground that it has become a “one country, one system” governing model since the national security law came into force, Beijing’s new top man in the city has said.
Zheng Yanxiong, the newly appointed director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city, on Saturday, added that it was time for Hong Kong to play its role as a super-connector to the world with the backing of the motherland and should promote good governance and prosperity, as both need to be further “consolidated”.
Zheng delivered his keynote speech in a seminar to mark National Security Education Day, in which he warned that Hong Kong must take action to counter smearing by the West.
“International expectations for Hong Kong are becoming more positive, and Hong Kong’s return to the world stage has increasingly become a common consensus. Yet, with the confusing opinions and badmouthing by the United States and the West, some people still have a lot of doubts,” he said.
Zheng added many city officials attending international forums in past months in China’s Hainan province, as well as in Thailand and Switzerland, were often asked if the implementation of the security law would impact judiciary independence and whether Hong Kong would lose its advantage as a legal hub.
“Some people even asked whether Hong Kong has become one country, one system,” Zheng revealed.
“These doubts are not a problem in our opinion, but they would require us to make much more effort to tell the good story of Hong Kong to the outside world and let the world see that a beautiful Hong Kong has returned.”
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On “continued attacks” from the West, Zheng reminded Hongkongers not to be careless, and to collectively speak out and show opposition against such acts.
“Recently, some people have begun to suggest that this law does not have to be enacted and that it can be cancelled. Whether this stems from good intentions or other reasons, it’s reckless,” he said.
“The struggle with chaotic forces in Hong Kong is far from over, and we must continue to consolidate governance and resolutely prevent the resurgence of outside forces against Hong Kong.”
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As an adviser to the city’s Committee for Safeguarding National Security, Zheng added it was necessary to understand the chaos in the past, especially what had happened during the 2019 social unrest.
“The city can no longer go back in the wrong direction and mess up … we must clearly see that promoting Hong Kong independence is a dead end … and being anti-communist and anti-China is also a dead end,” he said.
Using Chinese phrases, he said the national security level in Hong Kong was far from reaching the stage of “relaxing vigilance against wars”.
Top officials from the three other Beijing offices in the city also spoke to the audience at the forum.
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Li Jiangzhou, deputy head of Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong, warned that the city was still facing external uncertainties, and every resident was responsible for keeping it safe.
“Safeguarding national security is a long-term difficult and complicated mission,” Li told the audience. “Hong Kong has to continuously improve its legal system for national security.”
Liu Guangyuan, commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, said the city could only be safe when national security was safeguarded while the government pushed for safety and development to achieve stability and prosperity.
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He said individual countries had been badmouthing the city’s future and trampling on the international principle of non-interference. The office would continue to protect national security interests and ensure the full implementation of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong.
Peng Jingtang, commander of the People’s Liberation Army Garrison in Hong Kong, said national security was the foundation of rejuvenation, and social stability was the prerequisite for prosperity.
