Political pundits should be forgiven for having over-read a statement made by Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah yesterday, which is aimed to deny a report that quoted him as saying China’s economy faced the “worst time in 20 years.” Amid speculation about his candidacy in next year’s chief executive race, his move to set the record straight about the mainland economy could not be more intriguing.
Yesterday’s “no-story” story about Tsang could be traced back to his response to a question at a symposium hosted by the South China Morning Post in June. Asked about his views on the 2016 Hong Kong economy, Tsang said: “As Li Ka-shing mentioned yesterday, this is probably the worst time in 20 years for Hong Kong. I tend to agree with him, and I’ve been saying that for some time.”
