For the first time since he took office two weeks ago, Hong Kong's new Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying faced his critics—and there were many.
Leung is widely suspected to be hand-picked by Communist Party leaders in Beijing. At a grueling 90-minute question-and-answer session in Hong Kong's Legislative Council today, Leung acknowledged the difficulties he faces, while asking the Hong Kong public for time to sort things out.
In what some have termed a move for appeasement, Leung promised a doubling of welfare for low-income senior citizens, as well as measurements aimed at tackling increasing housing demands.
Leung's troubles come at an awkward time for the Chinese regime. His suspected ties to Beijing have highlighted the suspicion by many in Hong Kong that the Communist Party is attempting to further its influence in the region.
The Hong Kong public is currently not able to choose its own leaders. Beijing authorities have pushed back democracy there to 2017 tentatively. With China's communist regime facing its own leadership transition at the end of this year, the uneasy transition in Hong Kong now could signal more trouble ahead.
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