City’s top official says government is willing to create such opportunities, but does not confirm if such a trip is being planned, or if he will lead it
PHILA.SIU@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Tuesday, 24 May, 2016, 12:48pm
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (centre) and Legco members on a visit to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China in 2014. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Amid reports that he is expected to lead lawmakers from across the political spectrum to meet mainland officials in Shenzhen next month, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying broke his silence on Tuesday and said the government is willing to create opportunities for all lawmakers to foster exchanges with the central government.
While Leung did not answer directly if such a trip was being planned or whether he would personally lead the trip as the Hong Kong Economic Journal claimed last week, he said the Hong Kong government had always been willing to create such opportunities, citing the meeting between four pan-democrats and state leader Zhang Dejiang last week as an example.
“The government has always been willing to create opportunities for people from all sectors, including lawmakers from across the political spectrum, to visit the mainland and have exchanges with mainland officials in charge of Hong Kong affairs,” Leung said before attending an Executive Council meeting.
“Concrete examples are the trips to Shanghai and Shenzhen during the times of electoral reform, when lawmakers including the pan-democrats met mainland officials overseeing the electoral reform.”
Leung also said that the government would continue to have such an attitude in the future.
A mainland source told the Post that the Shenzhen trip, which could last just a day or half a day, was in fact being planned. The theme could be economic cooperation between the two cities.
It would be a test to determine how sincere the pan-democrats were in communicating with the central government, according to the source. He added that a senior official from the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office would take part in the trip.
At least seven pan-democratic lawmakers do not have home-return permits to allow them to enter and exit the mainland, so the Hong Kong government will need to help them get the permits back if they are to visit.
During the historic meeting between several pan-democrats and Zhang last week, the state leader said: “The [home permit] issue will be resolved one day.”
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1952695/cy-leung-breaks-silence-reports-he-will-lead-lawmakers
