BEIJING: President Xi Jinping on Friday said the central authorities fully support Hong Kong in aligning with national strategies and fostering new momentum and advantages for economic development, the media reported.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee, who is on a duty visit to Beijing. During the meeting, Xi heard a report from Lee on Hong Kong’s current situation and the HKSAR government’s work.
Noting that Hong Kong faces new development opportunities, Xi said the central authorities would fully, firmly and accurately implement the “one country, two systems” policy, and fully support the chief executive and the HKSAR government in uniting and leading all sectors of society in actively pursuing reform and progress, and in pursuing prosperity through innovation and creativity.
According to the HKSAR government, Lee’s briefing includes the latest economic, social and political situation in Hong Kong.
Commending Lee’s work over the past year, Xi said Lee had led the HKSAR government in shouldering responsibilities and delivering concrete results.
In the past year, the HKSAR government has completed historic legislation under Article 23 of the HKSAR Basic Law, pooled resources in boosting economic development, addressed livelihood problems such as housing and healthcare, strengthened external exchanges and cooperation, and continuously enhanced Hong Kong’s international prestige, thus further consolidating Hong Kong’s positive momentum of stability and development, Xi said.
The central authorities fully acknowledge the work done by Lee and the HKSAR government, he said.
Fan Peng, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Political Sciences, said that in 2024, one of the most outstanding achievements is the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR, a historic mission.
“In terms of system design, the legislation makes Hong Kong’s accountability to the central government something that is no longer an abstract political principle, but internalized in the operation of ‘one country, two systems’ and the actual governance of Hong Kong,” Fan said. According to the expert, in the past two years, the HKSAR government effectively handled a series of thorny issues involving the sovereign interests of national security. At the same time, Hong Kong has also carried out wide-ranging patriotic education, with the social atmosphere clearly changing.
Lee’s report in Beijing came after the annual Central Economic Work Conference in the capital, which stressed the need to implement more proactive and impactful macro policies, expand high-standard opening up and keep foreign trade and foreign investment stable.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies think tank, believed that the central government appreciates that in the past year or two, HKSAR was seeking opportunities in the Middle East and Southeast Asian countries to mitigate the impact from Western repression and attempts to weaken the foundation of Hong Kong’s economic development.
But at the same time, it also requires Hong Kong to continue to step up efforts to open up space for international activities.
At such a critical point in time, Xi spoke highly of the HKSAR under Lee, which actually shows that the central government has consistently attached importance to the significant status and positive role of Hong Kong, and has unswervingly supported the region, and has always been a strong backing for Hong Kong’s development, Fan said. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
