Politicization won't do HKSAR any good: Top legislator

ZhangDejiang(center),chairmanoftheStandingCommitteeoftheNationalPeople’sCongress(NPC),addressesHongKongdeputiesatthefourthsessionofthe12thNPCintheGreatHallofthePeopleinBeijingonMarch6,2016.HeisflankedbyZhangXiaoming(fromleft),directoroftheLiaisonOfficeoftheCentralPeople'sGovernmentintheHongKongSpecialAdministrativeRegion(HKSAR),MariaTamWai-chu,NPCdeputy,WangGuangya,directoroftheHongKongandMacaoAffairsOfficeoftheStateCouncil,andLiFei,chairmanoftheHKSARBasicLawCommittee.(RoyLiu/ChinaDaily)

（CHINADAILY）ToplegislatorZhangDejianghastoldHongKongtostoppoliticizingeverythingand,instead,seizetheopportunitiesfordevelopment,whileaffirminghisfaithinthecity’sresidentsinmakingtherightchoiceusingtheirwisdom.

Zhang,chairmanoftheStandingCommitteeoftheNationalPeople’sCongress(NPC),saidatameetingwithNPCdeputiesfromHongKongonSundaythatthecurrentproblemsfacingtheSARarenotuniquetothecity.

HongKongNPCdeputyMariaTamWai-chuquotedZhangassayingthatsucheconomicissueshavebeencommoninthepastandatpresent,andtheyarenothingnewtothecountryandtheworld.

AccordingtoTamandotherHongKongdeputies,Zhangsaidtheseissues,however,havebeen“politicized”inHongKong.

TheStateleadercategorizedHongKong’sproblemsintothreeaspects—thoseleftoverfromhistorycanbesolvedinthelongterm;thosethatarerealisticcanbesolvedstepbystepthroughdevelopment;andthosethatareuniversalarechallengesthatarefacedbynotonlybyHongKongbutthewholeworld.

TheSARrosetointernationalprominencethroughitseconomicachievementsandtheruleoflaw,notstreetpolitics,TamquotedZhangassaying.

ZhangurgedHongKongpeopletobearinmindthateconomicdevelopmentisalwaysthetoppriority,andreaffirmedhisconfidenceinthewisdomofHongKongpeopleinmakingtherightchoiceandtacklingtheirproblems,accordingtoTamandanotherdeputyBraveChanYung.

ZhanghopesthattheSARcanseizetheopportunitiesarisingfromthecountry’srapideconomicdevelopment,butwarnedthatsuchopportunitiesmayslipawayifHongKongpeoplefailtoseizethem.

NPCStandingCommitteememberRitaFanHsuLai-taicomparedHongKongpeopletoarunnerwhosearmsarefightingwithhisownlegswithhiskneesstartingtofeelthepain,warningthatHongKong’sregionalcompetitorswilleasilycatchupiftheinfightingdoesnotstop.

FellowdeputyMichaelTienPuk-sunsaidthecentralgovernmenthaslimitedreachinsolvingHongKong’sproblemsifitspeopledonotstoptheinfighting.

Chan,inparticular,notedthatZhanghasputhisfaithinHongKongpeopletofindtheirownwayout.Fanaddedthatsuchaspiritisinlinewiththeprincipleof“HongKongpeoplegoverningHongKong”.

Atthemeeting,sixHongKongdeputiesspokebeforeZhang,includingFanwhoproposedareviewofthevariouscross-borderyouthexchangeandinternshipprograms.Fansaidwhiletheprogramshaveimpressedinnumbers,shelamentedtheyhavenotbeensuccessfulindeepeningyouth’sknowledgeofthecountry,andcalledformorepreparationandfollow-upactionforparticipantsundertheprograms.