Views on Hong Kong hold the same weight regardless of whether they are expressed on local or mainland Chinese social media, Hong Kong’s constitutional and mainland affairs chief has said in response to a lawmaker citing concerns that the authorities are too eager to appease mainland Chinese tourists while disregarding local residents’ demands.
See also: Mainland Chinese tourists use social media to search for memorable Hong Kong locations
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang was replying to lawmaker Paul Tse, who – on Wednesday – relayed residents’ concerns about government’s policies supposedly being dictated by mainland netizens’ views.
Mainland tourists have aired their dissatisfaction with their experiences in Hong Kong on multiple occasions since the reopening of the borders last year, typically on Xiaohongshu, a social media site similar to Instagram.
Tse claimed that some mainland Chinese bloggers had said that “bashing Hong Kong has now become a kind of political correctness.”
Those complaints elicited “enormous reverberations” from the authorities, Tse said, citing Chief Executive John Lee’s “high profile response” after the city’s flagship carrier was slammed over alleged discrimination against non-English speaking passengers. More recently, an interdepartmental meeting was held immediately after thousands of mainland tourists were left stranded in Hong Kong after New Year’s Eve celebrations two weeks ago.
Tse said that people were concerned that such a mode of governance would lead to “Xiaohongshu administering Hong Kong”, apparently a play on the the adage “patriots administering Hong Kong.”
Meanwhile, the views of Hong Kong residents have not received the same level of attention and response from authorities “over a long period of time,” Tse added, citing calls for tax rebates, stamp duty cuts, suspension of pension fund payments, and expansion of public dental services to grassroots residents.
‘Equal weight’
In a response to Tse, Tsang said the government had “all along adhered to the ”people-oriented’ philosophy of governance, [and]actively listened to the aspirations and views of the public…”
Tsang said he bureau had noticed that mainland residents had “shared and occasionally commented on content related to Hong Kong, including pop culture, social customs and tourist attractions,” and that some posts “may lead to heated discussion and feedback from netizens.”
On Tse’s inquiry as to how the government would “balance the interests of both sides” when discrepancies arise, Tsang said: “Views on Hong Kong, whether expressed on local or Mainland social media, carry equal weight to the Government of the HKSAR.”
The Hong Kong government’s mainland offices and the Information Services Department have been “keeping abreast of the reports and views related to Hong Kong” on mainland platforms, “responding to them when necessary and referring them to the relevant bureaux and departments for follow up as appropriate.”
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