Region should take a hint from stable neighbor: analysts

A speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Macao urging people to understand the essence of "one country, two systems" and strengthen patriotic education among the young was seen by observers as a reminder to neighboring Hong Kong in the wake of the Occupy protests that tarnished the region's image.

Xi led the events Saturday commemorating the 15th anniversary of Macao's return to China, in what was described as "major recognition" of Macao's achievements.

"We must both adhere to the one-China principle and respect the differences of the two systems," Xi said Saturday at a ceremony to inaugurate the new ruling team of Macao's two-term Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on.

Xi warned that a misguided approach could end up like "putting one's left foot into the right shoe" and would lead nowhere.

Leng Tiexun, a deputy director of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute with Macao Polytechnic Institute, believes Xi's Macao speech was also a reminder for Hong Kong to rethink its future development in the post-Occupy phase.

"After the Occupy protest, which lasted for a prolonged period and caused a huge impact on Hong Kong, both the local government and society need to rethink ways to accurately grasp the essence of 'one country, two systems' and its relation with the Chinese mainland," Leng told the Global Times.

As Hong Kong and Macao are both special administration regions that have highly similar relationships with the central government, Leng believes the recently volatile Hong Kong could take a hint from its politically steadfast neighbor.

"Macao is a society that emphasizes building consensus with the central government. Instead of politicizing and complicating problems, Macao respects and upholds the authority of the Basic Law," Leng noted.

The protest leaders' push for amendments to Hong Kong's Basic Law to cater to their demands to include civic nomination as a way of choosing chief executive candidates in the 2017 election disregards the Basic Law's authority, he said.

A commentary by the People's Daily on Sunday said Xi's speech not only gives guidance for Macao's future development, but also provides "significant implications" to Hong Kong.

It said the over-emphasis on "two systems" and ignoring of the "one country" principle among some in Hong Kong has caused the damage wrought by the two-month-long Occupy protest.

Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po said some in Hong Kong society have not adapted to the historic changes brought by the "one country, two systems" principle, hence creating a superficial understanding of the policy and the Basic Law.

Hong Kong needs to address the problems brought by the Occupy protests using the guidance Xi gave to Macao during his speech, it said.

Aside from emphasizing "one country, two systems," Xi also called for more efforts to strengthen patriotic education for Macao's youngsters.

The recent pan-democracy movement in Hong Kong has caused concerns over its potential impact in Macao. One particular example was an unexpectedly large protest that took place in May in Macao against a bill that offers generous retirement packages for outgoing high-ranking officials.

A separate pan-democracy referendum, inspired by a similar one initiated by the Occupy protesters in Hong Kong, was also organized by local activist groups in Macao in August.

Leng, however, believes cooperation between the Macao government and local groups has ensured social stability and economic development. This is in contrast to the potential harm brought to Hong Kong's economy by the opposition leaders' recent vow to launch a "non-cooperation movement" to paralyze government operations and block government bills.

Following the end of the prolonged Occupy protest, the Hong Kong government is set to start a second round of political consultation on the election for the city's top leader in 2017, the first in which residents will enjoy full suffrage.

Zhu Shihai, a professor specializing in the study of Hong Kong at the Macao University of Science and Technology, expressed concerns that the confrontational attitude of Hong Kong's pan-democracy lawmakers may stall the progress of the city's electoral overhaul.

"Pan-democracy lawmakers currently control one-third of the legislative council's total vote count, [which gives them the power to veto government bills]. With the current confrontational attitude brought by the Occupy protest, they may not cooperate with the central government as they did during the last political reform in 2010," Zhu told the Global Times.