Beijing Officials Tell Hong Kong to Catch Up

Huang tells Hong Kong to speed up economic development

Today senior Beijing officials told Hong Kong legislators the city needs to play catch up if it wants to have a brighter economic future with the mainland.

They claimed Hong Kong wasted too much time on politicking and infighting and meanwhile in China's 14th five-year plan, the city needs to fulfill its role as part of the nation's overall development.

Huang met with legislators in two-hour session

Deputy director Huang Liuquan of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the imposition of the city's national security law, alongside Beijing's drastic overhaul of the electoral system, had ensured the steadfast and successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" governing principle.

"A favourable situation does not come easily," he told dozens of lawmakers who attended the two-hour seminar at Tamar. "Hong Kong right now needs to roll up its sleeves to focus on its development."

It's quite simple to speed up the city's economic development -- open the border. Every property development for sale, insurance company, hotel, restaurant, boutique, shopping mall is ready to open its arms to mainland visitors. They are so ready to pounce.

However, Hong Kong is at the mercy of China's insistence on zero Covid-19 cases which is near impossible and as a result refuses to lift border restrictions. 

And yet China tells Hong Kong to speed up its economic development...

HK businesses are waiting for mainlanders

So pro-Beijing lawmakers are now urging the mainland and Hong Kong authorities to start discussions on reopening the border.

"The business sector is ready to invest," said Felix Chung Kwok-pan of the Liberal Party. "Hong Kong and overseas businesses all think that the future market is in China, but we're hindered by the border closure."

Meanwhile Starry Lee Wai-king of the DAB said her party told Huang that people want to see the border reopened.

So... let's get on with it then. And reopening the border may prompt more locals to get vaccinated!

Sounds like a win-win to me...