'Xi May Instruct Hong Kong On Its Future Development'

Hong Kong’s sole deputy to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, Tam Yiu-chung, says he hopes President Xi Jinping will give instructions on Hong Kong’s future development when he attends the handover anniversary ceremony on July 1.

On a Commercial Radio programme on Monday, Tam noted that Hong Kong is half way through the 50 years of One Country, Two Systems promised by the central government.

“It’s the 25th anniversary of the system. At least [we hope] there will be an overview, and the future development direction. Let’s see if President Xi will give important instructions on One Country, Two Systems, I hope everyone would want to know more,” he said.

When asked if he expects the central government to state clearly how long One Country, Two Systems can last, Tam said the key is to ensure it gets back on the right, healthy track.

“Personally, I think this is not a difficult matter to handle. No one ever said 50 years is a deadline for changes. It’s easy to resolve this matter. But whether the central government will give a clear time frame or will it offer a general direction or principle that we can work towards? I think it’s also a likely approach,” said Tam.

Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday that Xi will attend the inauguration of the new term of SAR government, but unlike on previous occasions, it did not specify the length of his stay or details of his itinerary.

Tam would not speculate on whether Xi will physically attend the ceremony or make alternative arrangements, saying it’s better to just wait for an official announcement.

But a deputy to the National People’s Congress, Ip Kwok-him, said he believes Xi will travel to Hong Kong for a brief visit – unless the city sees a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases.

“It’s been reported in the news that President Xi will attend some events, but it didn’t say the dates of his visit. If, very unfortunately, Hong Kong’s epidemic situation worsens drastically, I think it’s totally likely that President Xi will make his appearance and give his speech online,” said Ip.