Beijing urged Leung Chun-ying to bring unity to Hong Kong but endorsement for 2nd term unclear

Zhang Dejiang's support for the chief executive in Beijing meeting should not be regarded as backing for second term, says mainland official

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Leung Chun-ying (right) said Zhang Dejiang (left) was "very satisfied" with his performance over the past 20 months in attempting to reform the city's political system. Photos: Xinhua, David Wong

Published: 11:00am, 24 Jul 2015Updated: 11:19am, 25 Jul 2015

The state leader who oversees Hong Kong affairs urged Leung Chun-ying to unite various sectors in the city during their meeting in Beijing two weeks ago, the South China Morning Post has learned.

However, another mainland official handling Hong Kong affairs said the expression of support for the chief executive from National People’s Congress chairman Zhang Dejiang should not be seen as backing for Leung’s bid for a second term.

Leung, on his part, cited Zhang as telling him at the July 13 meeting that he was “very satisfied” with the chief executive’s performance over the past 20 months in trying to reform the city’s political system.

Speaking at the end of his two-day trip, Leung dropped a strong hint he would seek a second term, pledging to make the greatest efforts to serve Hong Kong “if there is room and opportunity”. A person with knowledge of the closed-door talks said Zhang reminded Leung to “unite, unite and further unite various sectors” in Hong Kong.

Zhang did not elaborate on how he expected Leung to achieve that goal.