Pro-Beijing lawmaker Paul Tse has warned his colleagues that they have to help solve Hong Kong’s land shortage issue instead of defending their own interests, or Beijing may have to step in again.

Tse proposed a non-binding motion in the Legislative Council requesting the government to examine a potential amendment to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance and the implementation of the Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter reclamation works, in order to increase land supply.

Although democrats have resigned from LegCo, his motion was still rejected by 19 votes to 12. Opponents of the proposal included lawmakers from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the Federation of Trade Unions and the Liberal Party.

During his speech, Tse criticized the parties for not even supporting looking into the issue, accusing them of being a drag on both the government and Hong Kong’s development.

He warned that Hong Kong should handle its own land and housing issue, as he did not wish for Beijing to step in again like it had done with the recent election overhaul, which fundamentally changed Hong Kong’s electoral system.

If certain industries or groups only cared about their own interests instead of the interests of all residents, Beijing would have no choice but to “sledgehammer” Hong Kong, Tse added.

Development secretary Michael Wong said the government would rise up to meet the challenges but it had to assess the priority of different suggestions.

Reclamation at the Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter would reduce the supply of sheltered spaces, and it would be difficult to find replacements within Victoria Harbour, Wong said. That in turn would hinder the development of the new Kai Tak area, slowing down land and housing supply there, he said.

Following the recent election overhaul, lawmaker Kenneth Lau — also the head of powerful rural body Heung Yee Kuk — had raised concerns as the formation of the chief executive election committee did not mention the Kuk.

While Hong Kong is having a shortage of land, rural areas have often been reserved for village-style development, with the government being unable to take back much of the brownfield land — farmland that turned into non-residential use, such as car parks or recycling sites — for housing development.

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