Blood is thicker than water! The mainland-Hong Kong relationship will rise to a new horizon and so be the “one country, two systems” in the post-pandemic era.
Having seen the tremendous support of the Chinese mainland to help Hong Kong fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in recent months, the majority of Hong Kong people can appreciate the genuine familial bonds across the boundary. Continuous supplies of food, daily necessities and disease prevention material, plus large numbers of medical experts and volunteers, have been pouring into Hong Kong through various channels since the city asked the central government for help last month. This is truly a family love.
I also believe if all walks of life in the community show solidarity and work well with the resources and directions given by the mainland health experts to overcome the outbreak, it will be a perfect demonstration of the advantage of “one country, two systems”
It is true that family love should not be measured in monetary terms. However, as a grateful community, we must not allow our long-held thankful and appreciative virtues to degenerate into a take-it-for-granted indifference and ungratefulness. Knowing how much our motherland has spent on the rescue mission so far will certainly strengthen our gratitude.
According to Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the cost of providing food and material supplies to Hong Kong amounts to 900 million yuan ($142.3 million). Besides, the central government will also bear the building costs of all facilities that are being built at amazing speed to help Hong Kong cope with the fifth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Briefing the mainland’s support efforts to Hong Kong delegates to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in Beijing, Xia emphasized that the mainland and Hong Kong are interdependent family members with mutual affection. He said the entire nation has been deeply saddened by the plight of Hong Kong, and mainland residents in many cities and provinces have voluntarily given a helping hand.
He also reassured the Hong Kong delegates of the central government’s unwavering determination to implement “one country, two systems”, and the motherland is always the strongest backup for Hong Kong.
There is always a misconception that the success of “one country, two systems” lies in the absolute nonintervention of the mainland. However, “high degree of autonomy” does not mean the central government folds up its hands entirely even when the special administrative region goes near the brink of a cliff in the face of an insurmountable crisis. The fifth wave of the coronavirus outbreak is exactly such a case, making help from the motherland imperative.
To name some precedents justifying the successful Beijing-HKSAR joint efforts to overcome great obstacles threatening the existence of the SAR and national security, the 1998 Asian financial crisis and the 2019-20 insurrection are the two successful examples.
In 1998, Hong Kong, backed by the central government, won a hard-fought battle to defend the Hong Kong dollar and local stock market against speculative attacks led by American billionaire investor George Soros. If the joint effort had failed, it would have brought disastrous consequences to Hong Kong.
The event may be too remote for the new generation, but it is a good reminder that Hong Kong, if left alone, could be easy prey for malicious foreign forces.
In another incident, the 2019-20 social unrest, agitated by foreign forces and local instigators, put Hong Kong in a “hopeless” state of extreme distress and disorder. With the implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong in June 2020, the SAR was able to restore peace and stability, finally.
Xia also stressed that the central government’s full jurisdiction over Hong Kong does not mean it will intervene in the SAR’s governance, but it will give directions to the SAR government when there are incidents that might affect its stability.
Prior to Xia’s assertion on “one country, two systems”, Vice-Premier Han Zheng, the top central government official responsible for Hong Kong and Macao affairs, also delivered the same pledges on similar occasions.
Han, one on hand, did stress the mainland’s dedication “to give as many (resources) as requested by Hong Kong” to combat the pandemic, and its adherence to the principles of “one country, two systems”, “Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong” and “a high degree of autonomy” to safeguard the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao. On the other hand, he, however, made the SAR government accountable for its success or failure in dealing with the pandemic, saying the SAR should make concerted efforts to stabilize the economy and ensure people’s well-being.
He particularly urged the SAR government to improve its governance so that it can make full use of the anti-pandemic resources and suggestions provided by the mainland, unite people together, conduct the fight against the pandemic in an orderly and caring way, as well as cut down the mortality rate of the elderly and children.
Although Han’s comments were primarily targeting the SAR government’s responsibility in fighting the pandemic, it’s after all a big challenge that the SAR government cannot handle single-handedly. So he also urged wholehearted cooperation from the entire Hong Kong community to work together with the SAR government to complete the mission. So, we residents should also think about how we can contribute better in our fight against the pandemic.
Obviously, the clear and sincere messages of Han and Xia were well received by the SAR government, and situations have been improving in the past few days.
The SAR government is now taking more and more advice put forward by the visiting health expert team led by Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 response expert panel under the National Health Commission.
In her latest interview with Xinhua News Agency, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor confirmed that Hong Kong’s anti-pandemic priorities have now shifted to “doing our best to reduce infections, cases of severe complications and mortality”.
She said one of the improved measures included converting more public hospitals into designated COVID-19 hospitals with the hope of providing a total of 16,000 beds for infected patients with mild symptoms, so that they can be treated properly and earlier. Queen Elizabeth Hospital has become the first hospital converted for this particular purpose.
She added that compulsory universal testing would only be conducted once the fight against the outbreak is improving. To reduce the death rate of the elderly, closed-loop management at some hotels designated for the elderly and assigning specific cars to transport those elderly undergoing isolation at home to clinics would also be used. It is comforting that Lam vows to mobilize and unite the entire civil servant team together with the fighting spirit to combat the pandemic.
She believes that the strong support from the central government will further enhance Hong Kong people’s centripetal forces toward the country.
“Hong Kong has emerged better and stronger from each major storm. This time will be no exception,” she concludes. Yes, I also believe if all walks of life in the community show solidarity and work well with the resources and directions given by the mainland health experts to overcome the outbreak, it will be a perfect demonstration of the advantage of “one country, two systems” — timely and appropriate aid from the central government coupled with the appreciative conformity of the SAR achieving desirable results. This will be a victory for Hong Kong and the country as a whole, and it will certainly bring the city to a new dimension of “one country, two systems” after the crisis.
The author is a member of the Hong Kong Association of Media Veterans and a freelance writer.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.