US envoy says China can learn from Hong Kong
Gary Locke told an economic conference in Hong Kong that the world’s second-largest economy could only benefit from further liberalisation.
The US ambassador to China expressed caution on Tuesday over hopes for reform under Beijing’s new leadership and said the mainland should turn to Hong Kong for inspiration.
Gary Locke told an economic conference in Hong Kong that the US-China relationship remains “fundamentally very, very strong” but said the world’s second-largest economy could only benefit from further liberalisation.
“Hong Kong is an excellent example of what can be done and how important it is to lead in the economic realm with the principles of openness, freedom and transparency,” he told the conference, organised by US bank Goldman Sachs.
“It is also an example that China can learn from and in doing so, optimise China’s own progress and development,” he said.
Locke, a former US commerce secretary and the first Chinese American to hold the post, remained cautious when asked about the prospects of reform under China’s newly elected Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, who is set to take over as president in March.
“I believe everyone inside and outside of China is very hopeful but time will only tell, so we’re going to have to wait for several months or even a year to really see what the priorities are (for the new leadership),” he said.
