Chapter 1523 Meeting with Chief An
Chapter 1523 Meeting with Chief Executive An
At around ten o'clock the next morning, Zhao Jianhui met with Mr. An Zhigang, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, at the Wuzhou Hotel.
An Zhigang is in his fifties, but he looks like he is in his mid-forties. He is not tall and thin, but his thin face makes him look energetic.
It was obvious that An Zhigang attached great importance to this meeting with Zhao Jianhui and was well prepared. Accompanying him were Chief Secretary for Administration Leong Man-keung, Financial Secretary Liu Yuet-wah, Secretary for Security Tsang Kok-tay, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Han Yuan, Secretary for Food and Health Su Peipei, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Yang Hoi-keung, Environment Bureau Director Luo Jialiang, Director of Immigration Chen Yifang and more than a dozen officials as well as reporters from many media.
In addition to Zhao Jianhui in southern Guangdong, Ma Yulin, Wang Yunxiang, Zhou Hong, Li Qi and others also participated in the talks.
The hotel's conference room was decorated magnificently, with fresh flowers and fruit plates and mineral water on the table. The atmosphere at the scene was warm, but also a bit gunpowder-like.
The main purpose of An Zhigang's visit this time was to meet Zhao Jianhui, but at the same time, the people he brought had matters within their respective divisions of labor that needed to be negotiated with the southern Guangdong side. Because the development of southern Guangdong has affected Hong Kong's environmental issues, food safety issues, tourist entry and exit issues, mainland pregnant women going to Hong Kong to give birth, business and economic development issues, etc., these issues are all urgently needed to be resolved now.
Hong Kong relies on the mainland, but is also troubled by some things on the mainland. Some issues have caused great repercussions among Hong Kong residents. If we do not pay high attention to them, they will inevitably affect the relationship between the two places. For example, the topic that the Secretary for Food and Health, Su Peipei, is talking about now.
"Now, for some reason, pregnant women in the Mainland prefer to have children born in Hong Kong. Most of them choose private hospitals with high fees, and pregnant women from the Mainland whose fathers are Hong Kong people are relatively poor at first. You can also use the services of public hospitals, but after market-based fees for non-local pregnant women, these families even have to borrow money to have children, because if their children are not born in Hong Kong, they will not be able to obtain Hong Kong status and have to wait in line for 150 I don’t know the number of places. How long does it take to wait... Because of this matter, many people in Hong Kong criticize the government's policy of "regarding money rather than people". The number of pregnant women is increasing year by year, and the government's investment in hospital manpower and equipment is increasing every year. Increase the number, but it is still far from meeting the needs... These children will have the right of abode in Hong Kong when they are born. In this case, there will be 1.67 million new immigrants from the mainland in the next ten years, and they will compete with local residents for labor, employment, medical care, etc. Hong Kong will be overwhelmed with various resources..."
Su Peipei said this more politely. Zhao Jianhui also knows that there are now a lot of negative news reports about new immigrants in Hong Kong media, such as being lazy and lazy, abusing CSSA, etc. New immigrants have once again become the scapegoats for government policies. In fact, the change in Hong Kong society's attitude towards new immigrants from the mainland is of course related to the economic growth of the mainland, and it has also made the costs of new immigrants from the mainland complicated. Some commentaries in Hong Kong believe that with the increasing number of new immigrants, many bad phenomena in mainland society are harming Hong Kong, such as lack of public morality, corruption and bribery. Some articles even believe that mainland residents who came to Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s are In pursuit of freedom, new immigrants now will become obedient voting machines in the future...
"An efficient economic system, transparent law enforcement procedures and high-quality professionals are the keys to Hong Kong attracting investment from foreign companies and eventually becoming Asia's financial and trade center. However, some foreign business groups have recently pointed out that clean air and a good natural environment It is also crucial. If Hong Kong does not effectively solve the air pollution problem, its competitiveness as a free port in Asia will be weakened. And now, the source of Hong Kong’s air pollution is in the mainland..." The speech of the Secretary for the Environment, Law Ka-leung, was full of emotion. The smell of gunpowder. Wang Yunxiang couldn't help but look a little gloomy after listening to his words. This problem does not exist, but if it is mentioned at this kind of meeting, is it an attempt to accuse the enemy or does it have any hidden meaning?
Zhao Jianhui has been listening attentively. Whether he is thanking the mainland for providing safe vegetables and food to Hong Kong, or when he is accusing the mainland of environmental pollution and immigrant "invasion", his face has always been The smiles kept coming.
"... As the relationship between Guangdong and Hong Kong becomes increasingly closer, how Hong Kong can find its own position and determine its role in future cooperation between the two places is indeed a question worthy of attention. In turn, this answer will also determine Can the two places complement each other and carry out differentiated development and ultimately achieve a win-win situation?”
"In fact, as the urbanization process in the Pearl River Delta continues to accelerate in recent years, as the economic strength of the Pearl River Delta continues to improve and the industrial layout changes, it is natural for Hong Kong to have new thoughts and concerns about its own positioning. Hong Kong media stated that the Pearl River Delta is de-Hong Kongizing, and some said that with the boom of large shopping malls in southern Guangdong, Hong Kong’s shopping paradise will always be To be replaced by Southern Guangdong. In fact, all the worries are just worries: Hong Kong was originally the engine of economic development in the Pearl River Delta, but now Hong Kong seems to be gradually being thrown off the track, especially after the expansion of Nansha City, Dongzhou. The vast area of the Pearl River Delta in southern Guangdong has been connected together, and Qianhai and Hengqin have been upgraded to national-level new districts. Hong Kong's sense of loss is not without reason..."
Having said this, Zhao Jianhui glanced at the faces of the Hong Kong guests one by one, smiled and continued: "So, is it because Hong Kong is worried that it will be left behind by the mainland, so the mainland will not develop? Obviously this is Impossible. When I see all the comments in the Hong Kong media, I always feel the same: Hong Kong must also keep pace with the times, and its relationship with the Pearl River Delta region The business philosophy cannot always stay in the era of front shop and back factory. That is just a historical moment that cannot be copied. It is just the igniter of the Pearl River Delta engine. After the Pearl River Delta's economic engine is ignited, it is inevitable that it will continue to accelerate. There is no doubt that the mainland must stop and wait, there is no reason to overtake Hong Kong!”
“However, Hong Kong’s status as an irreplaceable international financial, trade, and shipping center has never disappeared. It is promoting the industrial upgrading and transformation of the Pearl River Delta, providing efficient financial services to the Pearl River Delta region, and stimulating the development of the modern service industry in the Pearl River Delta region. There is still huge room for expansion in other aspects. If Guangdong-Hong Kong relations can develop in this direction, the win-win benefits will definitely be far better than the front-shop-back-factory model that started in the 1980s."
"I have been to Hong Kong twice, and I have a good personal relationship with the former Chief Executive Yang. I also have other relatives living in Hong Kong. I can't be considered a stranger to Hong Kong, I should say that I am very familiar with it. According to the Hong Kong media I have come to this point of view: The relationship between Hong Kong and Southern Guangdong is now a tortoise and a hare race. Southern Guangdong is the hare and Hong Kong is the hare. Tortoise. This statement makes people laugh. This point of view is indeed objective when comparing the current development speed of the two places. But there are not many rabbits in the world that can reach a GDP growth rate of 10%. Moreover, rabbits can run faster. Don’t eat turtles either. The development of southern Guangdong or the Pearl River Delta is by no means aimed at eating or replacing Hong Kong.”
"However, we need to talk about it in two ways. The Pearl River Delta must also clarify its relationship with Hong Kong. For example, I have seen that many town-level plans clearly include the three English letters CBD. Your Pearl River Delta There is CBD in town, so why do we need it in Central, Hong Kong? You must be worried. In fact, the so-called mutual relationship is not a text in the planning document, but is a result of the continuous two-way adjustment and adjustment in the long-term life of Guangdong and Hong Kong. Social and economic development provides many A space of dislocation and complementarity. Win-win is not only a beautiful vision, but also a very objective possibility. Such good development opportunities and spaces are not easy to find on earth. History has long proved that the opportunities in the Pearl River Delta are opportunities for Hong Kong. I believe this will continue to be proven in the future. Only with the strong support of the motherland, can Hong Kong achieve more brilliant results. I don’t think the issue just mentioned is an unsolvable or irreconcilable contradiction... With the strong support of the motherland, Hong Kong can achieve even greater success. What are you afraid of? Hong Kong, you move forward boldly..."
Zhao Jianhui's words won rounds of applause from those present and those interviewing reporters.
Zhao Jianhui smiled and waved his hand, then changed the topic and continued: "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic" says: "Therefore, if the sage does not cure the disease, he will cure the disease; if he does not cure the disease, he will treat it before it is disorder. This is what the saying goes. The disease has already been cured, and then the medicine will cure it." "It is too late to deal with the chaos after it has already happened. It is like digging into a well when you are thirsty or casting a cone in a fight!" What did he mean? When treating diseases, doctors must pay attention to taking precautions before they happen, and prevention is better than cure. The theory of traditional Chinese medicine is the continuation of Chinese philosophy in the medical field. It is actually in the same vein as the way of governing the country and has many similarities with each other. Preventing problems before they occur is indeed the road to governing a country that will never be easy.
At present, some media in the mainland, especially in the south, and some media in Hong Kong are deliberately misleading, and some separatist forces are fueling the flames with ulterior motives, fabricating right and wrong out of thin air, and alienating the family ties between Hong Kong and the mainland. How should we nip problems in the bud and prevent the relationship between Hong Kong and the Mainland from becoming further alienated, or even becoming incompatible with each other?
Having said this, he stood up and looked at all the officials present, with a very distressed and strong look in his eyes.