Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed to the Hong Kong government it must take the “main responsibility” in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, urging it to stabilise the situation as soon as possible, local pro-Beijing media has reported.
Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po reported that, in his capacity as the Communist Party’s general secretary, Xi had instructed the local administration to take all necessary measures to protect the lives and safety of Hong Kong residents and ensure the overall stability of society.
They also reported that Xi had asked Vice-Premier Han Zheng, the top state leader overseeing Hong Kong affairs, to relay to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor the president’s “concern about the pandemic situation in the city and his care for Hong Kong residents”.
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The central government was also setting up a work mechanism to ensure effective anti-pandemic coordination, the newspapers said. The group is to be led by the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office and the National Health Commission, and will involve Beijing authorities and experts, as well as the Guangdong and local governments.
Condolences offered for parents of Hong Kong’s youngest Covid-related fatality
Hours after the message was published, Lam issued a statement expressing her “heartfelt gratitude” to Xi, while conceding that local authorities had been overwhelmed by the city’s surging fifth wave of infections.
“The rapid development of the pandemic has put Hong Kong in an extremely severe situation. The situation has also greatly exceeded the Hong Kong government’s ability to respond,” she said.
“At this critical moment, we must give full play to the advantages of ‘one country, two systems’. Regarding this, I have submitted a report to the central government and put forward specific requests for assistance as soon as possible.”
Analysts, meanwhile, saw Xi’s message as a warning to the local government, signalling that Beijing felt local authorities had not done their best to get the fifth wave under control.
Mainland Chinese academic Tian Feilong said the unusual move of Xi sending the instructions in his capacity as general secretary showed the central government was attaching the utmost importance to local anti-pandemic efforts, and left open the “possibility of holding the Hong Kong government accountable” at a later date.
The message came as the coronavirus continued to spread rapidly, with the city confirming 1,619 cases on Tuesday, the same day a three-year-old girl became Hong Kong’s youngest Covid-related fatality.
Her death prompted an outpouring of condolences on social media, especially as it coincided with the Chinese Lantern Festival, traditionally a time for family reunions.
The city was expecting to confirm more than 4,000 new cases on Wednesday.
On Hong Kong’s situation, the media reported that Xi had “emphasised that Hong Kong must earnestly take the main responsibility, and make it the overriding priority to stabilise and control the epidemic as soon as possible.”
“Authorities must mobilise all forces and resources that can be mobilised, take all necessary measures and protect Hong Kong people’s lives and health, as well as ensure Hong Kong’s social stability,” he said.
“The relevant central and local authorities must fully support and assist the Hong Kong government in doing its anti-epidemic work well.”
Vice-Premier Han has instructed the Hong Kong government and the relevant authorities to “firmly implement Xi’s instructions”, and directed the relevant authorities in Beijing and Guangdong to handle requests made by Hong Kong.
Those included boosting testing capacity, procuring rapid test kits and other medical equipment, supporting the construction of isolation and medical facilities, ensuring the supply of necessities such as fresh food, and sending coronavirus experts to Hong Kong to offer guidance.
Guangdong’s party committee and the provincial government have also met to discuss the situation in Hong Kong and make plans to help the city and ensure the flow of supplies.
Hong Kong expecting more than 4,200 new coronavirus cases
Lau Siu-kai, a vice-president of the semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, characterised Xi’s message on Wednesday as “supervision and instruction”, saying the failure to control the local outbreak would not only affect the city’s interests, but the overall development of the country.
“The central government would not publicly criticise the Hong Kong government, but obviously Beijing is not satisfied over the hesitation and delays of Lam’s administration in controlling the pandemic. It is rare that Xi asks you to take up the full responsibility, meaning the government must act immediately,” Lau said.
“Beijing is afraid that people’s fear and uncertainty will turn to anger, causing political instability again, while the delay in resuming cross-border travel means Hong Kong is again delayed in integrating into the overall national development plan.”
Tian, the mainland academic, said Xi’s instruction amounted to criticism of the Hong Kong government’s failure to get the pandemic under control for more than two years.
“There is also a possibility of holding the Hong Kong government accountable in future,” the Beihang University associate law professor said. “The lingering pandemic and rising public discontent are threatening the fundamentals of Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”
Tian said the local government should take extraordinary measures, such as imposing lockdowns for compulsory testing.
“The chief executive should learn from the mainland’s experience in tackling the pandemic,” he added.
Another mainland expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the situation had reached the point where Hong Kong’s social stability was under threat.
“Many crucial events, like the preparation for the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover, are also being affected,” he said.
The expert added that the worsening outbreak would inevitably affect the coming chief executive election, regardless of whether the incumbent leader sought re-election.
Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to China’s top legislative body, said Xi’s instruction served as a sign the city should mobilise resources and manpower from the mainland, especially Guangdong.
“Xi is showing his concern and care to the city, thus the chief executive and all civil servants should be mobilised to fight against the pandemic as soon as possible ... so that we can return to normal life and reopen the border soon,” he said.
Wednesday’s message came less than two months after Xi “fully acknowledged” Chief Executive Lam’s leadership in effectively containing the coronavirus pandemic, and praised her for her work over the past year, culminating in the first Legislative Council election after Beijing’s “patriots-only” revamp of the city’s political system.
In January, Xi also touched on Hong Kong as he outlined what he referred to as last year’s national achievements in his Lunar New Year greetings at a reception in Beijing. Xi said the city had been “transformed from chaos to governance”, and the struggle against “independence” and the promotion of reunification had been intensified.
Hong Kong’s worsening pandemic situation stood in contrast with that of mainland China, where only 80 cases, 40 of them imported, were reported on Tuesday.
Beijing is currently hosting the Winter Olympics, which will close on Sunday.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Coronavirus: Hong Kong authorities dedicate 7 clinics to patients as crowds swarm hospitals, while 3-year-old girl dies
- Tale of 2 cities: did Xi Jinping shower more praise on Macau’s leader than on Hong Kong’s Carrie Lam?
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