- Title: CHINA-HONG KONG/SCOTLAND Scottish First Minister makes debut visit to Hong Kong
- Date: 31st July 2015
- Summary: HONG KONG, CHINA (JULY 31, 2015) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** SCOTLAND'S FIRST SECRETARY, NICOLA STURGEON, APPROACHING PODIUM FOR SPEECH AT HONG KONG FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' CLUB PODIUM READING (English): "FCC HONG KONG" (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCOTLAND'S FIRST SECRETARY, NICOLA STURGEON, SAYING: "I mean, my view of this is actually the same as the
- Embargoed: 15th August 2015 13:00
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- Location: China
- Country: China
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA10A3UFFYJJ1SOYT4Y7VEY3494
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, continued her maiden trade visit to China with a speech in Hong Kong on Friday (July 31), where she said she hoped democratic dialogue would continue.
Sturgeon's Scottish National Party won a landslide 56 out of 59 Scottish parliamentary seats available in May's British general election and last year lead a referendum on independence from England, which they lost.
She is expected to meet Hong Kong's acting leader, Carrie Lam, later on Friday and though she said she would no way want to meddle in other government's politics, she hopes Hong Kong and China will resume dialogue on democratic reform.
"I mean, my view of this is actually the same as the view of the United Kingdom government. I think a transition to universal suffrage for the election of the (Hong Kong) Chief Executive is an important part of securing the stability, the prosperity of Hong Kong in the long term. And I very much hope that we can see a renewal of that process and a restarting of dialogue that leads to that. And I'll be interested to hear her (Hong Kong Chief Secretary Carrie Lam) perspective on that," she told a breakfast meeting at the Foreign Correspondents' Club.
Sturgeon was referring to Hong Kong's constitutional crisis when a reform proposal to elect the Hong Kong's Chief Executive in 2017 was laid out by the NPC Standing Committee in Beijing last August and supported by Hong Kong's pro-Beijing leadership.
Opponents, however, want a genuine democratic election in line with Beijing's promise of universal suffrage made when the territory returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Weeks of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong late last year posed one of the biggest challenges in years for China's ruling Communist Party when more than 100,000 people took to the streets in protest of a proposal for electoral reform.
Sturgeon's trip to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong aims to boost business, cultural and economic ties with Scotland but she said there were parallels.
"But one of the things that I learned from the (Scottish) referendum experience, was the power of democratic engagement. What I would say is that democratic engagement has to be that; democratic, peaceful, lawful. You know, I'm very proud, amongst other things associated with the referendum, of the fact that Scotland has had for generations and centuries, culminating in the referendum, this passionate debate about whether we should become and independent country and not a single drop of blood has ever been shed in the debate. It's been entirely peaceful and democratic and that's something we're proud of, but I think something that provides a lesson to the world," she added.
Sturgeon, 44, said the referendum inspired enthusiasm and energy.
"That's because the referendum inspired a quite extraordinary level of enthusiasm and energy. It was recognised around the world as a model of peaceful democratic engagement. The turnout was the highest for any vote on such a scale ever seen in the UK. Everyone realised in that referendum they had a vote that counted in a decision which really mattered. People got to imagine the different possible futures available to them and to their country. And that turned out to be a hugely powerful and inspiring process, including for many people who had never before participated, in any way, in the democratic process," she said.
Elected to Scotland's devolved parliament in 1999, she became SNP deputy leader in 2004. When the SNP took power in Scotland in 2011, she became health secretary then later was in charge of infrastructure, investment and cities. When Alex Salmond resigned, she was unopposed as the choice to succeed him as the First Minister.
She now speaks about creating a progressive alliance at the seat of Britain's parliament, Westminster. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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