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Top Chinese official praises Macau, warns Hong Kong to toe state constitutional line
- Communist Party’s No 3 leader says Hong Kong must heed the central government’s policies
- Li Zhanshu’s hardline rhetoric signals that last month’s district council elections have not swayed Beijing from its plans for the two cities
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The head of China’s legislature has warned Hong Kong to pay heed to the central government’s paramount power, using the 20th anniversary of Macau’s Basic Law to become the first senior state leader to detail Beijing’s strategy for the two cities since Hong Kong’s district council elections.
The remarks indicated that the landslide defeat of pro-Beijing candidates in last month’s elections had not altered Beijing’s long-term thinking about the two special administrative regions, an analyst said.
At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday, Li Zhanshu, third in the Communist Party hierarchy, diverted from prepared remarks on Macau to make a direct point about Hong Kong.
“I mostly talked about Macau today. But Hong Kong also needs to pay heed to the central government’s policies, the constitution, and the relation between [the central government’s] comprehensive jurisdiction over [Hong Kong and Macau] and their high degree of autonomy,” Li said.
“The central government has the same demands for both Hong Kong and Macau.”
The event was attended by various academics advising Beijing and officials from Macau, as well as Vice-Premier Han Zheng, the top party member overseeing Hong Kong and Macau affairs.
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