Hong Kong’s former chief secretary Anson Chan says leaders need to do a better job assuring world that city remains autonomous

Chan suggests that Hong Kong’s leaders need to go to Washington and elsewhere and say they, not Beijing, are in charge

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Hong Kong’s former deputy leader Anson Chan, centre, and lawmakers Dennis Kwok, left, and Charles Mok meeting with National Security Council officials in Washington on Friday. Photo: Handout

Published: 9:14am, 24 Mar 2019Updated: 11:12pm, 24 Mar 2019

Hong Kong’s leaders are failing to allay concerns among foreign governments that the “one country, two systems” principle is weakening in the face of alleged interference by Beijing, Hong Kong’s former chief secretary Anson Chan said on Saturday.

The government of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Hong Kong shot back this week at findings by the US State Department that the city displayed a “diminished” degree of autonomy from mainland China, and that Beijing’s intervention had accelerated negative trends seen in previous years.

A statement by a Hong Kong government spokesman said on Friday that the city continued to handle its own affairs in strict accordance with the one country, two systems principle, and emphasised that “foreign governments should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs” of the city.

Chan, Hong Kong’s former second-ranking official, found the reaction lacking.

Chan and Mok discussing the state of affairs in Hong Kong with National Security Council officials in Washington on Friday. Photo: Handout

“If the SAR’s assertion is that ‘All is well, you have nothing to worry about’, why do [they] not come to Washington and elsewhere and explain exactly what the situation is, and in particular stress that, in accordance with the terms of one country, two systems, it is the Chief Executive and her team who are in charge, not the liaison office, not Beijing,” Chan said.