How 12 Politburo Standing Committee members came to Hong Kong

From May 17th to 19th, Zhang Dejiang arrived in Hong Kong. The visit of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress is the first visit to Hong Kong by a member of the Politburo Standing Committee since the 18th National Congress. Note that it is "inspection" instead of the commonly used "visit" before. The wording in the official press release has changed. As the leader of the Central Hong Kong and Macao Work Coordination Group, it is not surprising that Zhang Dejiang became the first central leader to inspect Hong Kong after the 18th National Congress. The reporter noticed that this time he will participate in the "Belt and Road" Summit Forum hosted by the Hong Kong government. Just yesterday, Zhang Dejiang was about to start his busy trip to Hong Kong. Reporters combed through the itineraries of previous Politburo Standing Committee members since Hong Kong's return and found some very interesting features. For example, which places do the Standing Committee members like to visit the most? Who will you talk to? What positions did they express and what did they say in Hong Kong? Since the return of Hong Kong, 12 members of the Politburo Standing Committee have visited Hong Kong for inspection. Zhang Dejiang is the 12th member of the Politburo Standing Committee to come to Hong Kong for inspection. When Hong Kong first returned to China, members of the Politburo Standing Committee frequently visited Hong Kong. On the day of the handover in 1997, then-President Jiang Zemin led a Chinese government delegation, including then-Premier Li Peng, to Hong Kong to witness history. Immediately two months later, Li Peng and Zhu Rongji arrived in Hong Kong to attend the "52nd Annual Meeting of the World Bank and IMF". On the first anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, Jiang Zemin came to Hong Kong again to participate in the celebrations. The reporter noticed that before the 18th National Congress, except for 2004, 2009 and 2010, members of the Politburo Standing Committee went to Hong Kong every year. Since Hu Jintao visited Hong Kong in June 2012, Zhang Dejiang has become the first person to do so in four years. According to publicly disclosed information, most leaders go to Hong Kong "with a mission," such as participating in the anniversary celebrations of Hong Kong's return, attending various forums, exhibitions, opening ceremonies, etc., and generally conducting inspections of Hong Kong for a few days. Zhang Dejiang’s “task” this time, as mentioned earlier, is to attend the “One Belt, One Road” forum. In addition to these highlights, discussions with business people, representatives of the Hong Kong People's Congress and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and visits to financial institutions, schools, communities and other places are all part of the itinerary. When Hu Jintao visited Hong Kong in 1999, his discussions with celebrities from all walks of life in Hong Kong were reported in the press. When Zhu Rongji visited Hong Kong in 2002, he met with the "bosses" of Chinese-funded institutions in Hong Kong. Run Run Shaw, who was 95 years old at the time, also personally participated in the meeting. In addition, schools and communities are also places where leaders often visit. Wen Jiabao inspected the University of Hong Kong in 2003, and eight years later Li Keqiang also went to attend the centenary anniversary of the University. Central leaders have also appeared in the homes, parks, nursing homes, etc. of Hong Kong citizens. Exchanges with the Hong Kong Legislative Body When the then Vice President Zeng Qinghong visited Hong Kong in 2005, he attended a welcome dinner hosted by the Hong Kong government. That dinner attracted great attention from the media in Hong Kong because it was the first time that all members of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR were invited to attend, including some so-called "opposition" members. It could be called the first grand reunion of all classes, sectors, and political groups in Hong Kong. Since then, the exchanges and communications between central leaders and the Hong Kong Legislative Council have begun to increase. Every time a leader visits Hong Kong, public reports include content of meetings with members of the Legislative Council. Then in 2006, Jia Qinglin visited Hong Kong and also met with the main leaders of the administrative, legislative and judicial institutions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. During this meeting, Jia Qinglin hoped that those who hold leadership responsibilities in the administrative, legislative, and judicial bodies of the SAR "will consciously safeguard the authority of the Basic Law and set an example in abiding by the Basic Law." In 2007, Hu Jintao met with the main leaders of Hong Kong's administrative, legislative and judicial organs. Hu Jintao expressed that he hoped that everyone would comprehensively and accurately grasp the "one country, two systems" policy and act in strict accordance with the Basic Law. Since then, when Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang and Hu Jintao visited Hong Kong in 2008, 2011 and 2012, they also met with the heads of relevant agencies. This time Zhang Dejiang went to Hong Kong as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. According to media reports, Zhang Dejiang met with people from all walks of life, including members of the Legislative Council, at a formal welcome dinner on the evening of May 18. A small cocktail party will be arranged 40 minutes before the dinner begins. Accompanied by Leung Chun-ying, Zhang Dejiang will meet with all members of the Executive Council and 10 members of the Legislative Council in two rooms. These 10 Legislative Council members include 6 "establishment" members who are pro-Hong Kong government and 4 "opposition" members. It is worth noting that this is not Zhang Dejiang’s first visit to Hong Kong. When Zhang Dejiang was secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee, he visited Hong Kong. In 2004, accompanied by Tung Chee-hwa and Gao Siren, then director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government, he went to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Terminal, and the University of Hong Kong. Interestingly, during that visit to Hong Kong, he met the then Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, and also met Donald Tsang and Leung Chun-ying, who successively took over as Chief Executives a few years later, during inspections and discussions. From "reassurance pills" to seeking development, we can feel from the nearly 20 speeches made by leaders when they were in Hong Kong that from the very beginning to give "reassurance pills" to Hong Kong people, to "support" Hong Kong, and then to vigorously help Hong Kong develop, it is a dynamic and consistent process. When Hong Kong returned to China, Jiang Zemin said that the important task of the central delegation was to express cordial greetings to Hong Kong compatriots and to fully explain to them, as well as to compatriots in Macao, Taiwan, overseas Chinese and people from all over the world, the major policies and policies determined by our government to maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. When Hu Jintao went to Hong Kong in 1999, he also emphasized that everything should be based on maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity and stability and safeguarding the fundamental interests of Hong Kong compatriots. By the time Zhu Rongji went to Hong Kong in 2002, it had been five years since Hong Kong's return. He emphasized that Hong Kong not only retained its original systems and characteristics, but could also obtain more strong support and broader development space from the mainland of the motherland. Wen Jiabao went to Hong Kong the following year and emphasized that the new central leadership would "fully support the Hong Kong SAR government in administering the country in accordance with the law and maintain Hong Kong's long-term stability and prosperity." Subsequent statements by central leaders during their visits to Hong Kong emphasized the importance of Hong Kong's development. For example, in 2006, Wu Bangguo stated that Hong Kong should make development its top priority, further strengthen economic cooperation with the mainland, and expand external ties. In 2011, Li Keqiang said in Hong Kong, "Hong Kong's role in the country's reform, opening up, and modernization is irreplaceable. The areas for cooperation and development between the mainland and Hong Kong are broad and have great potential." As mentioned at the beginning, Zhang Dejiang's visit to Hong Kong this time changed from a "visit" to an "inspection". This change is not sudden. At the end of 2015, when Leung Chun-ying came to Beijing to report on his work, the seating arrangement was changed so that the leader sat in the middle and presided over the meeting, and others sat on both sides. Previously, the chief executive and the leaders met side by side. The Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office stated that these adjustments better reflect the relevant provisions of the Constitution and the Basic Law on the relationship between the central government and the SAR, as well as the requirement that the Chief Executive, as the head of the SAR and the head of the SAR government, be responsible to the central government, and are more standardized and solemn. During this year's Two Sessions, the seating arrangement when Zhang Dejiang participated in the group meeting of the Hong Kong National People's Congress delegation was also different from previous years. The sofas arranged in an arc in previous years were changed to work tables arranged in several rows. The Hong Kong National People's Congress representatives sat under the stage, and Zhang Dejiang sat on the podium. What gifts did central leaders “send and receive” in Hong Kong? The reporter will share some more interesting details and talk about the gifts given and received by members of the Politburo Standing Committee during their stay in Hong Kong. When Wu Bangguo visited the family of Hong Kong resident Wu Jianrong, he gave them a computer; when he was about to leave Hong Kong, he received a photo album of his activities in Hong Kong from Chief Executive Donald Tsang at the airport. Jia Qinglin gave a Chinese scenery album, a set of classical music CDs and a DVD player to the family of Wu Wanfen, an English teacher at Xiangdao Secondary School in Yuen Long. The gift he received was a portrait of Jia Qinglin created by a sixth-grade primary school student. After visiting the elderly apartment, Zeng Qinghong gave the apartment a craft tapestry with the Great Wall pattern, two massage chairs and 200 blood pressure monitors. When Wen Jiabao was a guest at the home of Hong Kong resident Guo Shanxiong, he was moved by his 6-year-old daughter's piano performance. Before leaving, he specially asked someone to buy a batch of piano teaching materials and CDs and presented them to her. According to Xinhua News Agency, China News Service

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