In this file photo, the Hong Kong flag, left, and the People's Republic of China flag, right, fly next to the statue of a Golden Bauhinia flower in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / IC / CHINADAILY.COM.CN)
HONG KONG – The proposed electoral reform in Hong Kong can effectively improve the special administrative region’s governance, and facilitate the city’s economic recovery and integration into the nation’s development, business and healthcare, pundits said on Friday.
They made the remarks in a webinar after attending the just-concluded two sessions in Beijing on behalf of Hong Kong. The two sessions refers to the annual plenary meetings of China’s national legislators and political advisers on top issues and plans across all sectors in the coming year.
During the plenary meeting, the country’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress, approved on March 11 a decision to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system, covering elections of the Hong Kong chief executive and members of the Legislative Council. The NPC’s Standing Committee will approve the specifics of the plan later.
A core value behind the new arrangement is ensuring Hong Kong is governed by patriots who truly love the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the country, the leaders said.
Ian Fok Chun-wan, a Hong Kong deputy to the NPC and a prominent businessman in the city, believes that the reform can effectively improve the efficiency of Hong Kong’s legislature. Meanwhile, the move raises the bar for the accountability of the SAR’s administration team, he said.
Fok, the CEO of the Fok Ying Tung Group, said he hopes the electoral reform can increase the SAR government’s governance capabilities, help Hong Kong to better integrate into the country’s overall development, and give full play to its unique advantages under the “one country, two systems” principle.
A core value behind the new arrangement is ensuring Hong Kong is governed by patriots who truly love the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the country, the leaders said
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These include Hong Kong’s strong research and development capacity and talent pool in science and technology, as well as its role as an aviation and cultural exchange hub, he said.
The NPC also passed the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) during the two sessions, outlining strategic plans for China’s economic and political development.
David Wong Yau-kar, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress, said the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan presented a comprehensive view of high-tech, economic growth and social security.
Social security is the prerequisite for economic development, and the latter is the guarantee of social security, he said, quoting President Xi Jinping’s words.
Wong said the three factors are inseparable, and that Hong Kong should also set up a systematic perspective of high-tech, economic development, and social security.
The first two items about Hong Kong in the new Five-Year Plan are about the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the electoral improvements. The delegate explained they are two prerequisites for the SAR’s economic development and improving people’s livelihoods.
After implementing the premise of security, Hong Kong must boost economic growth in the future; otherwise, security will not be guaranteed and society will remain unstable, he said.
Wong said the electoral improvements are beneficial to the administration of Hong Kong. They facilitate the checks and balances of the Legislative Council and the SAR government; and he said patriots who love Hong Kong will be more willing to participate in the city’s governance if the overall administrative efficiency is increased.
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Ko Wing-man, a Hong Kong member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body, agreed with Wong, saying that livelihoods of all walks of life of Hong Kong will be improved with the electoral reform.
Ko, Hong Kong’s former secretary for food and health, also thanked the central government for its support and assistance in the SAR’s fight against the pandemic.
He said that if Hong Kong’s outbreak is effectively controlled with the rollout of vaccines, the SAR government will be able to negotiate with other regions and countries to resume travel, and the vaccination record of travelers will no doubt be an important factor for that to happen.
Ko said he hopes the border between Hong Kong and the mainland can open soon under controlled pandemic, so that the city can play greater roles in contributing to the country’s medical reform as well as the healthcare innovation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.