HK vital for Sino-US ties, envoy says
There are many people in Hong Kong such as former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa who can play a part in helping to improve Sino-US relations, according to the top American envoy to the city.
In a speech to the Asia Society which declared that the US 'is back' in Asia, Consul General Stephen Young said US relations with Hong Kong were a model his government would like to see emulated around the region.
Young, responding to a question on Tung's role as a semi-official diplomat, said it benefited both sides, adding that others - be they academics, journalists, non-governmental organisation members or former officials - could also help.
'China doesn't have much of the concept of former officials because they kind of stay on the payroll forever. [Tung] is a former official. Over the years he has spent a lot of time in the US, he knows lots of people,' Young said. 'I think there are a lot of people who play this sort of role.'
Tung's long-standing diplomatic work with the US behind the scenes hit the headlines in September when he warned a senior US military visitor against attempting to contain China.
At a dinner hosted by Young in August, Tung warned Admiral Robert Willard, head of the US Pacific Command, against missions by US aircraft carriers in the Yellow Sea amid heightened tension in the region.
Since stepping down as chief executive in 2005 and being appointed vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Tung has been active in patching up Sino-US ties as head of his Chinese-US Exchange Foundation.
In his speech, Young reiterated the wishes of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to invigorate engagement with China. He also highlighted his country's connections to Hong Kong.
And he reiterated Washington's stance of supporting Hong Kong people's 'expressed desire' to introduce 'true universal suffrage at the earliest possible date'.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government rejected a report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission published on Wednesday, which criticised Hong Kong's 'delay' in introducing universal suffrage.
'The USCC report on Hong Kong is based on an incorrect understanding of Hong Kong's constitutional position and history,' the statement said. 'We strongly disagree with the USCC's recommendation, which is made based on misguided and unfounded speculations.'
