Beijing’s top official overseeing foreign affairs urged Hong Kong to play a more active role in the country’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative during a meeting with the Hong Kong delegates to the national legislature on Tuesday morning.
Yang Jiechi is one of China’s five state councillors – only lower in rank than Premier Li Keqiang and the four vice-premiers of the State Council, China’s cabinet. The 66-year-old former foreign minister is also deputy head of the party’s central coordination group for Hong Kong and Macau.
At the meeting, he also stressed it is important for Hong Kong to elect a chief executive in accordance with four criteria; he or she must “love the country and love Hong Kong”, be trusted by Beijing, be capable of governing, and be supported by the Hong Kong people.
“I believe he was just saying what he felt deeply about the chief executive election, since the topic is the talk of the town,” said Ma Fung-kwok, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress who attended the session.
“Yang also said he is firmly against Hong Kong independence, and he believes Hong Kong’s future is bright,” Ma said.
NPC chief urges Hong Kong to put economy above ‘street politics’
Most of the meeting focused on foreign affairs, such as the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, which is spearheaded by President Xi Jinping, Ma said.
According to Ma, Yang did not prepare a speech for the meeting but he shared his views after the speeches made by seven delegates during the closed-door event, which lasted around 30 minutes.
“He said Hong Kong can play a more active role in the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, especially in many South East Asia countries where the city can has a strong history of connection,” Ma said after the meeting, citing Yang.
“Hong Kong can also develop passages to Southern Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Europe countries.”
Yang said China has an increasing power over international affairs, and agreed that green development is also something the country should adopt, Ma said.
Yang stressed the most important thing for China to do to develop its economy was to implement simple regulations to encourage new businesses.
“By encouraging businesses and innovation, it relies a great deal on small and medium entrepreneurs,” Ma said, citing Yang.
The meeting with Yang came after Premier Li Keqiang took the unprecedented step of publicly condemning independence advocacy in Hong Kong. He declared in his annual work report on Sunday that such efforts would “lead nowhere”.
As Yang entered the delegates’ conference room at Beijing Hotel, and as journalists were allowed into the room to film or take picture for one minute, Yang did not respond to media questions on Hong Kong’s chief executive election or whether Beijing would endorse any of the candidates.
Zhang Xiaoming, director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, was not seen at the meeting.
It was the second time that Yang has joined a group discussion with Hong Kong delegates to the NPC during the national legislature’s annual session.
In an unprecedented move a year ago, Yang called for the delegates to play a bigger role in developing Sino-US relations.
At that time, China watchers saw Yang’s unexpected input in the meeting as indicative of a new approach to get Hong Kong more involved in boosting ties with the nation’s most important trading partner – a job that former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa often handles unofficially.