PRC NPC CHAIRMAN WU BANGGUO'S LOW-KEY VISIT TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L HONG KONG 004649

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/CM
NSC FOR DENNIS WILDER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2031
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR CH HK
SUBJECT: PRC NPC CHAIRMAN WU BANGGUO'S LOW-KEY VISIT TO
HONG KONG

REF: HONG KONG 2693

Classified By: E/P Section Chief Laurent Charbonnet; Reasons 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) Summary: PRC National People's Congress (NPC)
Chairman Wu Bangguo visited Hong Kong December 2-4 to preside
at the opening ceremony of the International
Telecommunications Union's "ITU Telecom World 2006" and meet
with Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief
Executive Donald Tsang, Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho, Hong
Kong-based central government officials and local NPC
delegates. Aside from the ITU event, at which Wu delivered a
bland speech focused on the development of the information
and telecommunications industries in the PRC and Hong Kong,
the general purpose of the visit was to "promote harmony and
development" and demonstrate that the central government
cared about Hong Kong. Several Consulate contacts agreed
with press reports that the visit was not related to the
upcoming December 10 Chief Executive Election Committee
election. PRC officials reportedly canceled several planned
public activities that could have resulted in embarrassing
protests against the central government. End Summary.

Visit Not Related to Election
--------------


2. (C) Commentators from various sides of the political
spectrum agreed that the timing of Wu's visit, just one week
before the December 10 election to select the 800 members of
the Chief Executive Election Committee (septels),was almost
purely coincidental. According to the press, Wu's only
election-related comments were that Hong Kong should hold a
smooth election and that HKSARG officials should "accurately
gauge the pulse of the masses." Local NPC Deputy and Liberal
Party founder Allen Lee told us that while the central
government certainly "cared about" the election, the message
of Wu's visit was "more symbolic than real" and was intended
to show the people of Hong Kong that Beijing supported and
cared about the development of Hong Kong. Furthermore, Lee
-- who said he had not participated in any of the closed-door
meetings -- observed that none of the central government's
senior leaders had visited Hong Kong recently, so the ITU
opening presented a useful opportunity. (Note: Chinese
People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Chairman
Jia Qinglin, who ranks fourth in the PRC Politburo, visited
Hong Kong June 27-29, 2006; see ref). Finally, Lee said he
was "amazed" at how little attention the people of Hong Kong
paid to the visit by Wu, who in protocol terms is the
second-ranking official in the PRC.


3. (C) Similarly, Secretary General Joseph Cheng of the
pro-democracy Civic Party told us that Wu had traveled to
Hong Kong primarily to officiate at the ITU opening. While
Cheng described the visit as "very low-key," he noted the
contrast between Wu's strong endorsement of Macau Chief
Executive Edmund Ho and his "avoidance of a full endorsement"
of Donald Tsang. (Note: Several Hong Kong newspapers, both
pro- and anti-PRC, also commented on this apparent
discrepancy.) Finally, Cheng told us that Wu certainly would
have reserved his "more significant comments" for the
closed-door meetings with CE Tsang and other high-ranking
officials.

Protests
--------------


4. (SBU) A variety of groups including The Frontier, the
League of Social Democrats, the Justice and Peace Commission
of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, the Hong Kong Alliance in
Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, Falun
Gong, and parents of right of abode seekers, organized
protests outside the site of the HKSARG's welcoming banquet
for Wu on December 2. Their demands included release of
imprisoned journalist Ching Cheong, universal suffrage in
Hong Kong, abode rights, and religious freedom in China.
Prominent dissident "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, who as a
member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council (Legco) received
an invitation to the event, was ejected from the venue when
he began shouting slogans just prior to Wu's speech.
According to the press, PRC officials had canceled several
other planned public activities, such as a media session and
a visit to a shopping arcade, to avoid potentially
embarrassing protests about Ching Cheong, whose appeal to the
Beijing courts was rejected on November 24.

Sakaue