—Interview with Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, by People's Daily

People's Daily: It's been 10 years since Hong Kong was returned to China, and 10 years since the two principles of "one country, two systems" and "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" have been in practice for 10 years. As one of the major witnesses to the return of Hong Kong to China, and as the executive chief of Hong Kong, what's your comment on Hong Kong 10 years down the line?

Donald Tsang: As Premier Wen has said, Hong Kong has had an unusual experience after its return to China. I believe one of the reasons that it's unusual is that "one country, two systems" is an innovative concept. Under this system, within a country, there are two ways of life, two sets of currencies, two sets of laws and even two sets of values. At the beginning, perhaps many people were suspicious of this practice, but 10 years later, we have noticed that economic and tourism ties between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland has never been closer; various surveys also show that the people of Hong Kong increasingly feel they are Chinese and have more trust in the Central Government. At the same time, we still stress the core values and lifestyle of Hong Kong. All these prove that "one country, two systems" is a successful practice. Of course, we can always do better, but what we have achieved with this unprecedented concept up to now is quite valuable.

The practice of "one country, two systems" is a great success. Most people only focus on the economic prosperity of Hong Kong, but actually the social governance, education, probity, service efficiency and the citizens' high sense of responsibility are more worthy of attention.

Yes, Hong Kong's advantage also lies in the fact that it can have an international vision and an international network. People from around the world would like to come to Hong Kong and even live here. This is because we stress our core values of equality, freedom, respect and tolerance. Besides, the Hong Kong market has a widely recognized advantage. We have a well-developed credit system, based on which leisure shopping and even banking, insurance, and legal services are developed. We give full protection to intellectual property, which helps the development of brands and cultural innovation. The Hong Kong society is very open and free, with a strict and well-developed legal system and a fair business environment for competition. The Hong Kong government manages to keep a clean and efficient government. Therefore, it has attracted many transnational corporations which have headquarters and offices in Hong Kong.

You grew up in Hong Kong and have a long history of working in the government, so you have witnessed the changes taking place within the society here. How do you evaluate the political situation, the public's aspirations in Hong Kong and their expectations from the government?

The public hopes that the government can practice policies according to reality. Thus, in order to do a good job, the key is to learn the government building, not only to visit the citizens, but also to change the government's attitude in formulating policies. When making polices, not only do we need to ask "what can we do for the public?" but also "what can we do together with the public?" During the next administration, the public's opinions will be the basis for the government's decision-making. In the future, the public will participate in the decision-making process in a more extensive and in-depth way. The government will also try to communicate with the citizens in a timely way.

Your major work experience was with the government. Going from a government civil servant to a government head, you must have seen  a lot of changes and great progress, including working styles and decision-making styles. How do you feel about the two different identities, and the roles of a common civil servant and a government head?

I began my career with the government in 1967 and have worked for the people for 40 years. No matter which position I am put in, I always cherish the idea that I must try my best to do the job well. This good habit should be attributed to the education given to me by my father when I was young. My father is a strict man and has high expectations of me. In this environment, I began to develop a sense of responsibility and to be cautious in doing anything. Another important personal quality is to put into practice whatever you have said and never make casual commitments. When I was a common civil servant, I found out that the best way to deal with an issue was by rationally analyzing it. This is more effective than simply referring to words and numbers. The chief executive, however, is a political figure, for whom decision making is very important. In the decision-making process, it's important to absorb opinions from various social classes to balance their interests. It's important to keep a close eye on social changes. When dealing with some issues, rational logic alone is not enough, there must be sensibility too. The people of Hong Kong are equipped with this quality, that is, to strive forward and never give up. This spirit will continue to push forward Hong Kong's development. I have the same ambition, that is, to be a good chief executive.

The successful practice of the "one country, two systems" will surely exert a far-reaching impact on Hong Kong's future. How do you plan to continue this practice and maintain its success?

Economically, we'll try to promote the development, basic infrastructure and large-scale projects that will help to promote Hong Kong's competitiveness, including the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the development of its bordering areas, the entertainment district of west Kowloon as well as the ship docks. Of course, we'll also take into consideration the local people's traditions, environmental protection and valuable places of interest. The government will try to promote the cooperation among the three parties of government, businesses and civil society, to create more jobs so as to further reduce unemployment. We'll continue to make investments into education and strengthen social mobility, so as to make it possible for ordinary people to enter the higher classes and prevent generation-to-generation poverty in a family. Of course, by doing all this, we intend to improve the local people's living standards.

We are committed to improving air quality, continuing close cooperation with Guangdong Province, and strictly control the discharge of pollutants by Hong Kong's power plants. We'll try to persuade the public to use less plastic bags and to misfire the engine when parking. In order to cope with the challenge of the aging population, we need to invest more resources into public health care, welfare, education, security for the retirees. We will carry out new health financing plans, encourage citizens to have more children, and lure more talents into settling down in Hong Kong. Moreover, we will promote the development of democracy. In response to the citizens' demand for democratic development, in accordance with the basic law, we will tangibly promote universal suffrage in Hong Kong.

Biography: Born in 1944, Donald Tsang became a salesman after graduating from Wah Yan College.  In 1964 he began to work for the then Hong Kong government under British rule. He became the administrative officer in 1971, and then acted as chief administrative officer and chief trade officer. During this period, he earned a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University, going on to become finance chief. In 1997, he became the first chief secretary for the financial office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and then became the Chief Secretary for the Administrative Office in 2001. In 2005 he was appointed the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of P.R.C., and reappointed in 2007.

(China.org.cn)