Hong Kong powers on - Telegraph The heckling of Hu Jintao in Hong Kong yesterday is a reminder that it retains its distinctive style 15 years after being handed back to the mainland. The Chinese president was in the former British colony for the inauguration as chief executive of Leung Chun-ying, a property surveyor who has been accused of clandestine membership of the Communist Party and of illegal building at his home on Victoria Peak. Mr Hu's inaugural address was interrupted by a member of the audience shouting, "End one-party rule." At the same time, a mass demonstration aired dissatisfaction with both the mainland and local governments. Both incidents provide heartening evidence that Hong Kong continues to play an important role in pushing for political liberalisation in China. That may be uncomfortable for the leaders in Beijing, but against it must be set the value to them of the Special Administrative Region created in 1997 - with its financial and legal expertise and a triple-A credit rating - as a gateway into the mainland for foreign capital. Despite its transformation over the past 20 years, Shanghai cannot match that record. Less encouraging is the disillusionment of Hong Kongers with Chinese rule, as witnessed on the streets yesterday and in two recent opinion polls. Among complaints are the widening gap between rich and poor, made worse by a property market inflated by excess capital from the mainland, and the ever-distant prospect of being able to elect the chief executive by universal suffrage. As Beijing prepares for a new leadership after a decade of repressive rule under Mr Hu, the situation is unlikely to improve. But Hong Kong should never despair of its influence on China that its autonomy provides - not just as a model for doing business but also as a catalyst for political change.