HONG KONG: Chinese
President Hu Jintao on Friday urged Hong Kong's restive people to embrace the
motherland as he visited the financial citadel for the 15th anniversary of its
return to rule by Beijing.
Hu, whose three-day visit is his last as president before
a key leadership reshuffle in Beijing, will preside over the inauguration of
Leung Chun-ying as the city's next chief executive on Sunday.
But while he vowed to "walk more" and "see
more" in Hong Kong, the first order of business on Hu's trip was a parade
in front of the massed ranks of China's secretive military garrison.
The president stood to attention in an open-top vehicle,
microphones arrayed in front of him, as he moved down the line of People's
Liberation Army personnel, tanks and missile launchers in Hong Kong's remote
New Territories.
"Thank you for your efforts comrades!" Hu,
wearing a green uniform, shouted. The PLA members answered with a cry of
"serve the people!" A huge banner aloft read "Love the
motherland, love Hong Kong".
But polls indicate the highest level of anti-China
discontent among Hong Kong's seven million populace since the 1997 handover
from Britain, and the reaction on social media to the military show was
caustic.
"It feels like we are in North Korea," one Hong
Konger wrote on Facebook.
Several groups plan protests for Hu's visit despite a
stifling police deployment. A march on Sunday is expected to draw tens of
thousands demanding greater democracy and accusing Beijing of interfering in
local affairs.
Authorities have erected giant barricades measuring more
than two metres high around Hu's five-star hotel. Well away, one small knot of
protesters on Friday kept up a clamour through a loudhailer.
Hu's schedule in Hong Kong has not been made known,
apparently due to security concerns, apart from his expected attendance at
Sunday's inauguration ceremony and a variety show to celebrate the anniversary
on Saturday.
Prior to the PLA inspection, the Chinese president held a
closed-door meeting with outgoing Chief Executive Donald Tsang and thanked him
for his service. Tsang is stepping down after seven years in office.
His successor Leung was chosen by an election committee
stacked with pro-Beijing elites, and many among the ordinary public say they
feel disenfranchised amid a widening rich-poor gap and an influx of mainland
cash.
"In the coming two days, I hope to be able to walk
more, see more and personally feel the development of Hong Kong, understand the
life and expectations of the Hong Kong people," Hu said on his arrival.
He said Hong Kong had achieved "significant"
development since the handover and that the "one country, two
systems" model, which guarantees the southern Chinese city a
semi-autonomous status, had been upheld.
Hu, who last visited Hong Kong in 2007 for the 10th
handover anniversary, also urged unity between Hong Kongers and their northern
neighbours.
"The central government would like to use the
valuable experience gained over the past 15 years with the people of all
sectors in Hong Kong to unite together and look forward to further promote the
practice of 'one country two systems'," the Chinese leader said.
Under the "two systems" principle, Hong Kong
retains its own judicial and financial frameworks, with civil liberties
including the right to demonstrate and press freedom not seen on the mainland.
Hu is expected to announce measures aimed at enhancing
economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Beijing during his visit, as part of
China's use of the city as a testing ground to turn the yuan into a global
currency.
Chinese officials on Friday announced incentives for a
financial zone in Shenzhen, close to the Hong Kong border, which will be
jointly developed by both sides. It is due for completion by 2020.
Despite the closer integration, unease has been growing
as Hong Kongers chafe at an influx of newly rich Chinese mainlanders, accusing
them of taking everything from school places and maternity beds to baby milk
formula.
A telephone poll of more than 1,000 people released last
week by the University of Hong Kong showed mistrust among Hong Kongers toward
Beijing at a new post-handover high of 37 percent.
By contrast, a poll released in August 2008 after the
Beijing Olympics showed the figure at a relatively low 14 percent, when nationalistic
sentiment was strong throughout China.
Prior to the handover, mistrust levels stood at 44
percent in May 1997.
-AFP/ac/de
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