Why the central government does not trust John Tsang

One aspect of this Chief Executive election that the Hong Kong public is very concerned about is whether or not former financial secretary John Tsang Chun-wah enjoys the central government’s trust and backing as a candidate. The biggest question should be: While it is so obvious the central government does not trust or support him as a candidate — which he himself knows very well — Tsang has still repeatedly said: “There is no reason for the central government not to trust me,” citing his many years of service as a principal official and a handshake with President Xi Jinping as “material evidence”. Some residents and even some Election Committee members have come to believe what he says. An authoritative source close to the central government believes there is a need for Hong Kong people to know the truth as to why Beijing could not trust or support Tsang in running for the city’s top post.

This source explained that the trust the central government has in a person’s ability to act as a CE is an extremely high level of political trust. Tsang failed to stand by the right principles when it came to matters of cardinal importance such as the illegal “Occupy Central” campaign as well as cross-boundary issues which concerned mainland-Hong Kong relations. He tended to avoid showing his real feelings and attempted to please the opposition and even radical separatist forces. At work, he had refused to support CE Leung Chun-ying and even made things difficult for him. He was lazy and laid-back, lacking a sense of responsibility and the ability to handle complex situations.

Through various channels, the central government had been able to have a good grasp of Tsang’s performance. This has undermined Beijing’s trust in him. More importantly, after expressing his wish to the central government to participate in the CE election and receiving a clear signal of disapproval from Beijing, he insisted on launching his election campaign; thus he has become a political figure who is working against the central government. Under such circumstances, it is even more unlikely that Beijing can put any trust in him.

The authoritative source stated emphatically that the central government’s highlighting its “trust” as one of four criteria for the next CE had realistic relevance. No matter whether it was initiated by him or it just happened that way, Tsang had already been chosen by certain foreign and Hong Kong opposition forces to be their political proxy and representative of their interests when competing with a candidate supported by the pro-establishment camp. This has turned the CE election into a political contest for power to govern Hong Kong. Now that Tsang has stood on the opposite side, how could the central government have faith in him and support his candidacy? If Beijing once had a certain level of trust in Tsang as a principal official of the Special Administrative Region government, then the basis for even this low-level of trust has now gone.

There are rumors circulating in Hong Kong that it is not possible for the central government to distrust Tsang. Some cited as evidence of this Tsang’s appointment to various government posts — from commissioner of customs and excise to financial secretary — by the central government. But the central government’s trust comes at different levels. The CE, being the leader of the SAR, is the most important position concerning who has jurisdiction in Hong Kong. National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhang Dejiang said during the two sessions in Beijing that the central government’s requirements for the CE had to be higher than that for other SAR principal officials.

Despite Tsang having served as a personal secretary to former British governor Chris Patten, Beijing still let him be financial secretary. This showed the central government’s open-mindedness and inclusiveness. But it does not mean it will entrust Tsang with the most important post in the SAR. Beijing has always believed Tsang excels in financial management but is not the right choice to be the top leader who has to oversee all aspects of governance.

Moreover, people change. Observing Tsang for some time after he was appointed financial secretary, Beijing has increasingly noticed his wavering political stance. Trust in the past does not guarantee trust in the present.

Another wrong insinuation is that “shaking hands with President Xi” shows the central government trusts John Tsang and supports his CE election bid. President Xi shook hands with Tsang at the founding ceremony of the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank in June 2015 and this has been hyped by Tsang as “strong evidence” the central government supports him. He even went so far as to claim the “presidential handshake” was a major factor in his decision to run for CE office. Someone even made up a story about “two central governments”: One — comprising Zhang Dejiang and, under him, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR — supports former chief secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. The other is Xi, who supports Tsang because he shook hands with him. The authoritative source dismissed such claims as ridiculous and delusional, arguing that first, Xi shaking hands with Tsang and others was only a form of protocol. If another Hong Kong official had attended the same ceremony and Xi shook his hand, did that mean the other official would also be a CE candidate that the central government supported?

Moreover, the central government has now established a strong and promising collective leadership with Xi at the core. When Zhang met representatives of Hong Kong political groups in Shenzhen last month, he not only said Lam was the only candidate supported by the central government because she loves the country and Hong Kong and has considerable ability when it comes to getting things done. He also emphasized that this was the unanimous decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The source said that in the minds of central government leaders, the CE of Hong Kong is clearly a very important position. The decision over who is to fill this post is such a crucial one that it must be made by Xi himself as well as the Political Bureau collectively. The rumor that the HKMAO and the Liaison Office would disobey directives from the central government and go their own way is an outright ridiculous lie.

The trust the central government has in a person’s ability to act as a CE is an extremely high level of political trust. Tsang failed to stand by the right principles when it came to matters of cardinal importance such as the illegal “Occupy Central” campaign as well as cross-boundary issues which concerned mainland-Hong Kong relations. He tended to avoid showing his real feelings and attempted to please the opposition and even radical separatist forces.

The author is vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee. The article is an excerpt from a Chinese article published in Sing Tao Daily on Friday.