Economy - not politics - makes city's heart beat, says Leung

Hong Kong is not "a show flat" to demonstrate what Western democracy is to China and the city can rely on Southeast Asian nations as its major trade partners, says former chief executive Leung Chun-ying.

The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference vice chairman, in a television interview, said under the Basic Law, Hong Kong is always meant to be an economic city - rather than a political one.

"Back then [before 1997] people's opinion was not for Hong Kong to become a political city, but an economic city. For example, [people cared about] whether the Hong Kong dollar is still entitled to free circulation," Leung said.

"This place we're living in is not supposed to become a political show flat to demonstrate to the nation how so-called democracy in the West works," he added. "Even taxi drivers in the mainland know better than local lawmakers what Hong Kong's value to the nation is.

"We can't feed on politics and politics is not our position in the nation."

Over the past two years, Beijing has imposed the national security law in Hong Kong and revamped the electoral system to introduce "patriots-only" elections, arousing concerns over the city's autonomy.

But Leung said it is reasonable for the central government to intervene.

"[Beijing] has expectations of the chief executive," he said. "It can give detailed priorities on what social problems to solve first and what problems to go second because [the chief executive] is appointed by the central government.

"Looking back at what happened in Hong Kong in the past several years, who could have intervened if it wasn't the central government?"

Leung also commented on the fact incoming chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu and chief secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki are sanctioned by the United States.

Asked how the pair can seek foreign opportunities, Leung said the mainland has been Hong Kong's biggest trade partner in recent years and after that it is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - and not Western countries.

"I don't think Asean countries will follow the US in sanctioning us," he said.

Leung also said he is confident in Lee as the next leader.

Former Legislative Council president Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, meanwhile, said universal suffrage can be realized when Hongkongers truly identify themselves as Chinese and refrain from committing acts that jeopardize the development of the city and the nation.

Speaking on radio, Fan said national education has to be strengthened as many youngsters were misled by anti-China groups and attended June 4 vigils or participated in the 2019 social unrest.

Separately, the pro-democratic union Hospital Authority Employees Alliance announced its dissolution yesterday. The group said the disbandment - effective from Thursday - was approved on Friday.

The group was founded in 2019 and, at its peak, had almost 20,000 doctors, nurses and health workers as members.

It arranged medic strikes to pressure the government to close its mainland borders when Covid first emerged in late 2019.

Its former chairwoman, Winnie Yu Wai-ming, is in remand after being arrested for alleged subversion involving the 2020 democratic camp primary elections.

jane.cheung@singtaonewscorp.com