HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S POLICY ADDRESS: "DON'T

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HONG KONG 004027 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/CM NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2031 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR ECON ELAB SOCI CH HK SUBJECT: HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S POLICY ADDRESS: "DON'T EXPECT TOO MUCH" Classified By: E/P Section Chief Laurent Charbonnet; Reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) Summary: In his second annual Policy Address on October 11, Hong Kong Chief Executive (CE) Donald Tsang reviewed his first year in office, detailed plans for his current term, and outlined his views on the major challenges that the next CE would face during the 2007-12 term. Tsang's address was disrupted twice by protesters, including two pro-democracy legislators who were ordered to leave the chamber. Tsang said that during the past year he had sought to implement strong governance, promote economic growth and development, restore the Government's fiscal balance, and improve the quality of life of the Hong Kong people. On the negative side, Tsang listed as his greatest shortcomings the public's rejection of his plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District development and the rejection by Legco of his proposals for electoral reform. For the remaining eight months of his current term, he would continue to promote economic development and also address various social issues, including introduction of a limited and non-mandatory proposal for a minimum wage. Tsang also promised to propose policies to improve environmental quality and protection. Looking further ahead, Tsang said the next CE would need to address three issues: sustainable economic development, furtherance of democracy, and building a harmonious society. He deferred detailed discussion of plans for political reform to the Commission on Strategic Development (CSD),which is scheduled to issue its reform blueprint during the first half of 2007. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Comment: Tsang's Policy Address, at 75 minutes the shortest in memory, did not address several of the most controversial current issues in Hong Kong, such as the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST),the recently enacted law on covert surveillance, long-pending legislation on racial discrimination, or the much-discussed need to improve relations between the executive and legislative branches of the Government. More significantly, Tsang touched only briefly on plans for political and electoral reform, a topic which he generally has avoided since Legco rejected his proposals in December 2005. At the press conference following his address, Tsang categorically denied that his outline of future objectives was paving the way for his reelection bid. Following the address, several administration critics publicly criticized Tsang's speech: former Chief Secretary Anson Chan told Hong Kong Cable TV that she hoped the Government would play a more active role in leading public discussions on Hong Kong's constitutional development, and also take the initiative to formulate viable and broadly acceptable policies to move towards universal suffrage. Former Secretary for Security Regina Ip told Cable TV that the Policy Address lacked long-term policy objectives; specifically, she observed that the CE's proposal on minimum wage was only a "delaying tactic." More sharply, City University Professor and Civic Party Secretary General Joseph Cheng told Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) that the Policy Address was the "hollowest" of the past twenty years, and suggested that Tsang was using the vibrant economy to avoid dealing with more controversial issues. End Comment. "Don't Expect Too Much" -------------- ¶3. (C) In his second annual Policy Address, delivered at the Legislative Council on October 11, CE Tsang reviewed the "achievements and failures" of his first year in office, detailed the major activities planned for the remaining eight months of his current term, and outlined his views on the major challenges that the next CE (presumably Tsang) would face during the 2007-12 term. In his introductory pre-briefing for the consular corps, Professor Lau Siu Kai, head of the Government's Central Policy Unit, advised the assembled diplomats to not "expect too much" from the Policy Address, as it would reflect only what Tsang thought he could achieve in the remaining eight months of his current term. ¶4. (SBU) Tsang's address was disrupted twice by protesters: first, before he began his remarks, League of Social Democrats (LSD) legislators "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-heung and Albert Chan loudly objected to Hong Kong's existing "small circle" electoral system as well as its lack of a minimum wage law; Legco President Rita Fan ordered the two legislators to leave the chamber. Later in the speech, as Tsang discussed his plans for a non-compulsory minimum wage SIPDIS in the cleaning and guard services sectors, members of the pro-democracy "Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions" standing in the public gallery demanded immediate enactment HONG KONG 00004027 002 OF 003 of a comprehensive minimum wage law, resulting in a ten-minute suspension of the session. Achievements and Failures -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Noting that he would address both his achievements during the past year and his "areas where there is still room for improvement," Tsang described four accomplishments and two setbacks. On the positive side, he had diligently sought to implement "strong governance for the people." Specifically, Tsang said his government had supported expansion of Hong Kong's "Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement" (CEPA) with mainland China, including expansion of the "Individual Visit Scheme" to include tourists from more areas of southern China. Another success was accelerated public investment growth, largely through Legco's approval of the new Government complex at the Tamar site in central Hong Kong. The third major accomplishment was the restoration of the Government's fiscal balance, primarily due to the reduction in the size of the Civil Service and other cost-saving measures. Finally, Tsang noted various improvements in the quality of life of the Hong Kong people, including freedom from avian influenza, food safety, and air pollution concerns. ¶6. (SBU) On the negative side, Tsang listed the public's rejection of his Government's plan for the West Kowloon Cultural District development, which was one of the priority goals of last year's policy address. He said the Government would reassess and reformulate the plan for this project by early next year. A second shortcoming, which he described as the "biggest challenge in the past year," was the rejection by Legco of his proposals for electoral reform and constitutional development. Tsang said he was "responsible for not securing the necessary support from the Legco," and had since initiated new discussions through the CSD to develop a roadmap for implementation of universal suffrage. Remainder of the Current Term -------------- ¶7. (SBU) In preparing his Policy Address, Tsang said he had held 32 separate consultation sessions with various Hong Kong interest groups, and also reviewed recent Hong Kong public opinion polls. He intended to use this information to delineate the priority tasks for the remainder of his current term, primarily promotion of economic development but also various social issues. This would include capitalizing on globalization and the "rise of China" to strengthen Hong Kong's role as an international center of finance, trade, tourism, and shipping. Other areas of emphasis would be development of the information technology, cultural and creative industries, as well as improvement of Hong Kong's ability to host major international sports events. Labor and the Minimum Wage -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Tsang, under pressure in recent months from generally pro-Government and pro-Beijing labor organizations, voiced cautious and qualified support for introduction of a minimum wage. He said the Government would launch a "Wage Protection Movement" for employees in the cleaning and guard services sectors, through which the Government would, via non-legislative measures, "encourage" firms to ensure that those employees received adequate compensation and protection. The Government would monitor the effectiveness of this program and review its results after two years; if the outcome was not satisfactory, it then would introduce minimum wage legislation for those two sectors alone. "Cherishing the Family" -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Tsang, describing "cherishing the family" as a "core value of our community," addressed in some detail various social initiatives to support and strengthen the family and thereby address a variety of social problems. He said he would consider establishing a "Family Commission" to coordinate all policies in this area. He also described several planned education initiatives, including new government subsidies for early childhood and gifted child education programs. Environmental Protection -------------- HONG KONG 00004027 003 OF 003 ¶10. (SBU) Tacitly acknowledging that Hong Kong's environmental quality, particularly in terms of air pollution, has deteriorated in recent years, Tsang said that the city "deserves and can afford a better living environment." He said he would focus on the overall strategic direction, set targets for different stages, and introduce specific policy initiatives. He specifically lauded the "Pearl River Delta Regional Air Quality Management Plan," prepared in partnership with the Guangdong Provincial Government to achieve specific emissions reduction targets by ¶2010. Tsang also said the Government had imposed emission caps on Hong Kong power plants and would consider adopting other new "polluter pays" standards to control vehicle emissions, improve building energy codes, and enhance wastewater and solid waste management. Challenges for the Future -------------- ¶11. (SBU) In his concluding remarks, Tsang said it was important for Hong Kong to set "bold goals" that could foster consensus in the community. In that regard, he believed the next CE would need to address three issues: how to sustain economic development while promoting the well-being of the people, society and environment; how to further develop a democratic political system, as required by the Basic Law; and how to build a "harmonious society." Regarding political development, which was one of the themes of his 2005 Policy Address, Tsang regretted Legco's December 2005 rejection of his constitutional reform proposals, which he said would have substantially enhanced democratic development. In the wake of that defeat, Tsang has been "personally leading the CSD" to study future constitutional development. Both the Hong Kong and Central Governments were determined to achieve the "ultimate goal" of election of the CE and the entire Legco through universal suffrage. The CSD would issue its report during the first half of 2007, which would provide a blueprint for political development "covering 2012 and beyond." Cunningham