When Tung Chee-hwa paid a duty visit to Beijing last Saturday, President Hu Jintao said the central government was very concerned about what had recently happened in Hong Kong. And Premier Wen Jiabao pointed out that Hong Kong's most pressing task at present is to preserve social stability and concentrate on economic development and the improvement of people's livelihoods.

The message from the two State leaders is that the central government pays special attention to Hong Kong's stability.

Such a concern of the central government is not something new. The very objective of the implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" is to safeguard the long-term stability of the territory. The fact that the central government has become "very" concerned is an indication that the gravity of the situation in Hong Kong must not be overlooked.

From early July onward, the political scene in the SAR became so volatile that it did not only alarm Beijing but also startled the international community. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in the streets on July 1 and tens of thousands gathered outside the Legislative Council Building on July 9 and in a "pro-democracy" rally on July 13.

The public's discontent with the status quo and its grievances against the chief executive and the government were all vented at the same time. The atmosphere became even more tense when the "democrats'" cashed in on the opportunity to escalate their political demands.

In the wake of these events, the government decided to introduce three major amendments to the national security bill and ultimately put it on hold. Then the resignations of Secretary for Security Regina Ip and Financial Secretary Antony Leung dealt a severe blow to the administration. Some have described these developments as the biggest political upheaval in the history of Hong Kong, and that is probably true.

Since Hong Kong is an externally-oriented economy, such political ups and downs will definitely affect the economic order and overseas investments. The government and members of the public, therefore, have the shared obligation to maintain social stability in the territory. And the government's positive response to people's demands is the first step towards diffusing public anger and safeguarding the stability of society.

As a matter of fact, the participants in the series of activities in July have put forward three major demands. First, with skepticism towards Article 23, they are asking for more thorough explanations from the government. Second, being dissatisfied with the government's performance, they want the authorities to do a better job in enhancing their governance, improving people's livelihoods and reviving the economy. Third, a minority of people who are not happy with the SAR's political system are seeking to amend the Basic Law in order to implement universal suffrage for the election of the chief executive and direct election for that of the Legislative Council.

Tung and some senior officials have responded seriously to these demands. The government's ultimate decision was to relaunch public consultation for Article 23 legislation with a view to procuring more public understanding and support for the new laws. It has also mapped out specific measures to enhance its governance and rejuvenate the economy. As to the third demand, it is not yet the right time to discuss the subject, but the administration has still laid down a tentative timetable to demonstrate its sincerity.

After careful analysis of the situation in the SAR, central leaders have expressed their views over a few core issues that relates to the overall situation in Hong Kong. This has a stabilizing effect for the territory.

Without a stable society, nothing can be accomplished. The key to the resolution of the various problems the territory is facing lies in economic development, for which social stability is the pre-requisite. It is time to test Hongkongers' political wisdom again. In fact, the central government's concern and the SAR government's response are in accord with the fundamental interests of Hong Kong people.

All in all, preserving social stability, developing the economy and improving people's livelihoods are the only correct choices of action for Hong Kong at this crucial juncture.

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