ABSTRACT
When attending the celebration ceremony for the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in September 2010, Hong Kong’s richest tycoon, Li Ka-shing, was given a high-profile reception by Chinese President Hu Jintao and the two persons shook hands in front of television cameras. During their one-to-one meeting, Hu Jintao highly praised Li Ka-shing as an outstanding entrepreneur who had made enormous contributions to the country’s economic reform and the preservation of Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity ( South China Morning Post, 2010a, 7 September). The high-profile meeting was widely regarded by the local media as another illustration of the high level of cordiality and friendship between the Beijing leaders and the Hong Kong business sector ( South China Morning Post, 2010b, 7 September). This kind of high-profile private meeting is, however, not an isolated incident, because since the handover the local capitalists have been warmly received by Chinese leaders regularly either in Beijing or during their visits to Hong Kong, and those big names include former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, former Vice-President Zeng Qinghong and the incumbent President Xi Jinping.
