Hong Kong’s John Lee urges public to study paper issued after Beijing’s third plenum
- Lee makes call after Communist Party wraps up third plenary session of its 20th Central Committee with agreed reform push
Lee issued the call on Thursday as he and several of his senior aides sent congratulatory messages to mark the end of the party’s third plenary session for its 20th Central Committee, where it adopted a resolution to further deepen reform promoting high-quality development to build China into a modern socialist country.
While the communique did not feature an individual section on Hong Kong, an official source noted that it mentioned the party’s leadership “continued to push forward works related to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan” as it recapped the Politburo’s work.
The source also noted that Zheng Yanxiong, director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, who has yet to be made a Central Committee member, had attended plenum discussions chaired by executive vice-premier Ding Xuexiang, who leads the Central Leading Group of Hong Kong and Macau Works, the party’s key unit on Hong Kong affairs.
Zheng was also seen presenting in front of Ding in footage aired on China Central Television prime time news on Thursday evening.
Over in Hong Kong, Lee issued a statement describing the session in Beijing as “very important” meeting held at a crucial period as the country worked to build a strong nation.
“History has proved that Hong Kong has been playing an active role in the country’s reform and opening up,” he said.
“As a ‘superconnector’ and ‘super value-adder’ connecting the mainland with the world, Hong Kong gives full play to its role of going global and attracting foreign investment for the country.”
He said the country’s development had entered a crucial period and Hong Kong should grasp opportunities that continued to give full play to the city’s unique advantages.
“All sectors of the community should earnestly learn and implement the spirit of the session, give full play to the power and value of the principle of ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’, and fulfill Hong Kong’s responsibilities, seize Hong Kong’s opportunities, and make Hong Kong’s contributions on the country’s journey of further deepening reforms comprehensively to advance Chinese modernisation,” Lee said.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city’s No 2 official, also said the communique showed the country’s “incomparable determination” to continue to reform and open up.
Justice minister Paul Lam Ting-kwok said he was impressed by the importance of the country attached to the principle of governing the nation in accordance with law.
“Hong Kong should make good use of the common law system under one country, two systems and be more proactive in thinking about and implementing how to help the country complete the task of reform,” he said.
“This will also be one of the most important work directions for the Department of Justice in the future.”
Professor Lau Siu-kai, a consultant with the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, Beijing’s semi-official think tank, said the plenum communique was an important document.
“We only have an outline of the reforms that will be undertaken in the days ahead,” he said.
“I am sure that the concrete reforms will be significant, bold and innovative, particularly in the realms of promoting private and foreign investment, building a big national market, the reform of state enterprises and the reform of the tax system.”
