China has offered one of the world’s richest men, Hong Kong magnate Li Ka shing, and a position as member of the National People’s Congress. By law, the body is China’s highest governing body, but in practice it has been little more than a rubber stamp for the country’s Communist leaders. By getting Li to serve, Beijing hopes 10 boost the congress’ prestige and to assuage fears in Hong Kong about what will happen after July 1, 1997, when Hong Kong reverts to Chinese control. So far, there has been no definite answer from Li. ‘Administrators from the Hong Kong government have started taking lessons in Mandarin, the type of Chinese spoken in official circles in Beijing. The predominant dialect spoken in Hong Kong is the Cantonese of Guangdong.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 5, 1993
