China’s ‘two sessions’ 2023: Hong Kong delegates urged to take more active role in developing Greater Bay Area, countering Western accusations
- CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang also stresses need for delegates to safeguard national security and development interests
- Speaking ahead of his departure to Beijing, city leader John Lee pledges to work with local delegates to boost city’s integration into nation’s overall plan
Beijing has called on Hong Kong delegates attending annual parliamentary meetings to take a more active role in offering constructive advice to speed up the development of the Greater Bay Area, the country’s southern economic powerhouse.
Wang Yang, the outgoing chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), also highlighted the need for the delegates to safeguard national security and development interests by countering the West’s portrayal of Hong Kong and the rest of the country, as he delivered his work report at the opening session of the political advisory body on Saturday.
“Pragmatic suggestions should be made … to press ahead with the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area,” Wang said.
Both the CPPCC and National People’s Congress (NPC) sessions are featuring new faces from Hong Kong. Starry Lee Wai-king and Stanley Ng Chau-pei, the heads of the two largest parties in the financial hub, are considered front runners for the city’s sole seat on the NPC Standing Committee, as current deputy Tam Yiu-chung is set to step down.
Former Hong Kong leader, Leung Chun-ying, was expected to remain as CPPCC vice-chairman, while vice-chairman and former city chief Tung Chee-hwa was to retire. Former health secretary Ko Wing-man and billionaire Pansy Ho Chiu-king were also tipped to join the standing committee of the advisory body.
The “two sessions” opened a week after Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu held talks with Guangdong leaders to speed up the integration of Hong Kong into the bay area, Beijing’s plan to link up 11 southern Chinese cities and tap the potential of its combined population of 86 million.
The meetings in the capital come against the backdrop of worsening tensions between China and the West, which has accused Beijing of using the national security law to suppress dissent in the financial hub.