Hong Kong quickly reclaimed stability after the central government made strenuous efforts to restore order from chaos. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and those from all walks of life have begun recharting the city’s future governance and development. At the same time, the central government also conscientiously and proactively exercises its overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong to advance the comprehensive and accurate practice of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong, its long-term prosperity and stability, its good governance, and its integration into the overall development of the country. One of the specific forms of exercising its overall jurisdiction is for the central government to make appropriate and necessary instructions to the SAR government and demand accountability for the successful development and governance of Hong Kong.
On July 1, 2022, President Xi Jinping delivered a critical speech at the Meeting Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Return to the Motherland and the Inaugural Ceremony of the Sixth-Term Government of the HKSAR. President Xi clearly instructed the new SAR government how to run the city in his speech. These are the central government’s main criteria for holding Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and his administration team accountable for their job performance.
President Xi’s instructions are summarized as the “four musts” and “four proposals”. The “four musts” are: First, “we must fully and faithfully implement the principle of ‘one country, two systems’ ”. Second, “we must uphold the central government’s comprehensive jurisdiction while securing Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy”. Third, “we must ensure that patriots govern Hong Kong”. Fourth, “we must maintain Hong Kong’s distinctive status and advantages”. The “four proposals” are: First, “Hong Kong should further improve its governance”. Second, “Hong Kong should continue to create a strong impetus for growth”. Third, “Hong Kong should address people’s daily concerns and difficulties”. Fourth, “the people of Hong Kong should work together to safeguard harmony and stability”.
The SAR government, led by Lee, vows to grasp and implement the “four musts” and “four proposals” conscientiously and embrace them as the precepts guiding the work of his governance team. In the past year, despite the complicated and severe international situation and the many long-standing difficulties in Hong Kong, with the support and solicitude of the central government, the assistance of patriotic forces, and the concerted efforts of the governance team under the Lee’s stewardship, the government has indeed shown unmistakable sincerity in grasping and executing Xi’s instructions and achieved some preliminary results. In the years to come, the governance team should be able to show better governance performance by undertaking arduous tasks to create a better future for Hong Kong.
What is essential is that on Oct 19 last year, the chief executive deliberately used the “four musts” and “four proposals” as the main themes in his Policy Address to classify the new government’s plethora of proposed and ongoing policies and measures. This demonstrates vividly the governance team’s determination to implement Xi’s instructions. Many of the policies and decisions made and implemented by the government afterward follow closely the “four musts” and “four proposals”.
On “fully and faithfully implement the principle of ‘one country, two systems’,” the government steadfastly safeguards national security, strengthens the publicization and education of the country’s constitution and the Basic Law, promotes national education, increases public officials’ awareness and knowledge of the country’s major policies and the essence of the Report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, etc. On “upholding the central government’s comprehensive jurisdiction while securing Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy”, the government humbly and sincerely accepts the leadership and guidance of the central government and works in tandem with it on foreign policy matters; the chief executive, the principal officials, and senior civil servants have frequent communication and close contacts with central government officials; Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, visited Hong Kong to inspect and guide the work of the SAR government; the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, upon the request of the SAR government, explained the relevant articles of the National Security Law for Hong Kong to clarify the issue of whether overseas lawyers who do not have the general qualifications to practice in Hong Kong can take part in national security cases, etc. Regarding “Hong Kong to be governed by patriots”, Lee formed a governance team with solid patriotic elites as the core. The SAR government cooperates closely with the Legislative Council. It treats the legislators as trusted partners; many patriots have been appointed to the government’s statutory organizations and advisory bodies; and the government has strengthened its ties with patriotic groups and organizations, the Hong Kong deputies of the National People’s Congress as well as the members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at all levels. The SAR government has kept internal and external forces under a tight leash. Regarding “maintaining Hong Kong’s distinctive status and advantages”, the SAR government is committed to strengthening Hong Kong’s common law system, vigorously publicizing Hong Kong’s unique conditions and advantages under “one country, two systems”, streamlining administrative procedures and enhancing organizational efficiency, maintaining a clean government, strengthening Hong Kong as the world’s most important renminbi offshore financial center, actively participating in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and continuing to expand Hong Kong’s international linkages amid hostility of the US and the West, etc.
To realize Xi’s “four proposals,” the government has taken some actions in the past year. In terms of “improving governance”, the government has reorganized the government structure to rationalize the internal division of labor; strengthened the leadership, overall planning, and coordination capabilities of the government at the top; and established several special coordinating committees chaired by the chief executive and his principal aides, among which those related to accelerating integration into the overall development of the country are particularly significant; set up the Hong Kong Investment Corp, strengthened policy research; optimized the civil servant management system; revamped the functions and methods of formation of the district councils to enhance the government’s administrative capabilities at the local level, and so on. In terms of “continuing to create a strong impetus for growth”, the government strives to gradually withdraw epidemic prevention measures to promote economic recovery, attract key enterprises from the mainland and overseas to Hong Kong, recruit high-quality talent from all over the world, import labor from the mainland, deepen financial cooperation with the mainland, actively develop various “international hubs” where the city has comparative advantages, etc. In terms of “earnestly addressing people’s concerns and difficulties in daily life”, the government has used various means to speed up the supply of land and housing; built “light public housing”; actively developed the Northern Metropolis; set an exact date for the termination of the Mandatory Provident Fund offsetting mechanism; limited the price increases of public utilities; issued “consumer voucher” coupons to the people, and so on. In terms of “the people of Hong Kong working together to safeguard harmony and stability”, the government continues to curb the “anti-China and sedition” elements, cracks down on various forms of “soft confrontation”, vigorously propagates the central government’s solicitude for Hong Kong compatriots, sets up “care teams” in the districts, promotes primary healthcare, cares for the young people, etc.
The government has displayed some exceptional characteristics in response to the president’s instructions. First, the government no longer espouses the “positive noninterventionism” dogma. The dictums of activist and people-oriented governance have replaced it. Second, in the encouraging environment of “patriots governing Hong Kong”, the government receives substantial assistance and support from the Legislative Council. Hence, the government can boldly implement some policies and measures that were hardly conceivable in the past, especially those concerning strengthening economic and trade relations with the mainland, national education, school curriculum changes, and policies to streamline land planning and acquisiton procedures. Third, with the backing of the central government, the government is more courageous to “take on” the vested interests when initiating significant policies, such as the import of medical personnel from the mainland and overseas, the termination of the Mandatory Provident Fund offsetting arrangements, and limiting public utilities’ fare increases. Fourth, in contrast with the past, the government is more active in cooperating with the mainland in various arenas today. Now, government officials apparently have a stronger sense of belonging and pride in the country and believe that the city must double its efforts to broaden its development opportunities in the mainland and the non-Western world.
However, Hong Kong will inevitably have to cope with a severe and dangerous international geopolitical environment in the coming years. The US and the West will not stop harming Hong Kong. The continued tensions in East Asia have already cast an ominous shadow over Hong Kong’s investment and development prospects. Some outflow of talent and capital is unavoidable. The slow recovery from the epidemic crisis, global financial instabilities, protectionism from the US and the West, ascendant “de-globalization” and “reverse globalization”, the reorganization of the worldwide supply chains away from China, and the challenging financial situation of the government are all severe obstacles to Hong Kong’s future development. Under these inauspicious conditions, if the government aspires to significant achievements, it needs to intensify efforts to promote Hong Kong’s economic growth and industrial diversification, open up a broader space for international economic and trade activities, and increase the various resources that the government can deploy through the reform of the tax system and exploring other revenue-generating measures. Hong Kong’s cooperation with the central government and the mainland and the government’s ties and collaborations with all sectors of society need to be reinforced. The government has done quite a bit in the past year and made notable achievements. However, suppose the strategic goals are to achieve a profound transformation of Hong Kong’s industrial structure, attain sustained high-quality economic development, become the hub of China and the Asia region in significant fields, enjoy prominent international status and reputation, attain good governance and long-term stability, bridge social divisions, substantially resolve the deep-seated contradictions, build a fair and just society, extensively and deeply integrate into the overall development of the country and raise the legitimacy and prestige of the government and patriotic forces among the people, much more arduous and intelligent work has to be done in the future. Under the leadership and guidance of the central government, the SAR government must, with the spirit of seizing the day and moving forward indomitably, demonstrate bold and innovative leadership and a tremendous sense of responsibility and deliver more impressive governance achievements. Only then can the government live up to the great trust and expectations of President Xi, Hong Kong residents, and the compatriots on the mainland.
The author is a professor emeritus of sociology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a consultant of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.