Hong Kong district councillors should put national security first or risk ‘empty talk’ on economy, livelihoods: No 2 official
- Chief Secretary Eric Chan calls for elected councillors to fully implement ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’ principle
- Chan is serving as acting chief executive with city leader John Lee away in Beijing for his second duty visit
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki on Tuesday called on the elected councillors to maintain the “patriots administering Hong Kong” principle and ensure the municipal-level bodies were “non-political organisations” for consultation and district services.
“Very simply, without national security, discussions about improving people’s livelihood and developing the economy are just empty talk,” he said before the weekly meeting of the Executive Council, the city’s top decision-making body.
The Post also learned that the 470 district councillors had been asked to attend a meeting at the government headquarters at Tamar, Admiralty, on Friday.
Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office head Xia Baolong will deliver an “important speech” remotely at the meeting, the invitations said.
A source said the speech would cover Beijing’s expectations for the new municipal-level officials and outline their responsibilities.
