Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the National People's Congress standing committee, Tam Yiu-chung, said his decision to step down from the key post was made due to health concerns.
Speaking on a radio program on Tuesday, the pro-establishment heavyweight said the thought surfaced while undergoing quarantine in July after he was diagnosed with
Covid.
Tam said he worried that his health conditions could not allow him to make it through the complete next term, should he succeed in securing the spot, which could lead to the city losing its only place in the standing committee.
Meanwhile, Tam said he is now 73 years old, which means he should make way for younger candidates.
He also noted that most of the leaders in the Central Government are quite young, with several delegates among the 100-strong standing committee aged between 50 to 60.
He said the next delegate should act as a bridge between Hong Kong and China, conveying Hongkongers thoughts to the Central Government and, at the same time, promoting the country’s development in the city. He added that the delegate should also be familiar with Hong Kong and mainland affairs.
Separately, Tam said he sees no reason that the NPC standing committee has to step in to help deal with Hong Kong affairs again after their previous move of enacting a national security law in Hong Kong and reforming the city’s electoral system is in line with citizens’ expectation and has brought order to the elections.
