Educating HK youth on Basic Law encouraged

To strengthen ties between the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, attention should be focused on legal cooperation and law education among youth, advisers of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference said on Tuesday.

This would be an effective way to achieve the goal of universal suffrage in selecting Hong Kong's next chief executive in 2017, the advisers said.

Eliza Chan, a CPPCC member from Hong Kong and the honorary president of the Hong Kong China Chamber of Commerce, said that to limit personal trips from the mainland to Hong Kong would not solve conflicts.

The special administrative region has founded a special council to promote the Basic Law among Hong Kong residents, especially the young, to improve understanding of mainland conditions and reduce contradictions, she said.

"Recently the opposition faction and some radical ones in Hong Kong have made new troubles, aiming to disrupt the social order, which was condemned by most local residents," said Chan. "We must solve the problem and maintain a normal order in society."

Leung Chun-ying, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR, said that he will speak with central government leaders about the possibility of limiting the number of tourists from the Chinese mainland in response to mounting complaints from Hong Kong residents about inconveniences caused by the rising number of such visitors.

Chan said that, to a large extent, Hong Kong's local economy depends upon the economic development of the mainland, and the trips are important for maintaining stable growth of Hong Kong. The key is to improve communication between the mainland and the special administrative region, she added.

Chan said that many Hong Kong residents, especially young people, lack an understanding of development conditions on the mainland. "We have recognized that our work for helping the youth is not enough since the return (of Hong Kong) in 1997."

Ken Chu, a native of Hong Kong and a CPPCC member who also is group chairman of resort operator Mission Hills Group, said: "I feel so heartbroken that many mainland people think Hong Kong citizens do not welcome them. It is a big misunderstanding."

The world is competing to attract Chinese tourists and shoppers, and mainland tourists bring great sales and job opportunities, Chu said, adding that many Hong Kong shop owners and ordinary citizens cherish the benefits brought by visitors from the mainland.

Xie Yu contributed to this story.

chenjia1@chinadaily.com.cn