Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu speaks at the Historic Launch of the First Volume of the English Edition of Hong Kong Chronicles on July 27, 2022. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government will make the best endeavours to tell the world the good stories of Hong Kong, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said Wednesday.

Lee made the statement during the launching of the first volume of the English edition of the Hong Kong Chronicles at Government House, adding that one of the key chapters of the story of Hong Kong is about its national and international connectivity, according to a government statement. 

Lee pointed out that President Xi Jinping acknowledged the favourable conditions and distinctive advantages of Hong Kong's close connection with the world market in his important speech on July 1

Lee pointed out that President Xi Jinping acknowledged the favourable conditions and distinctive advantages of Hong Kong's close connection with the world market in his important speech on July 1, in which the President said, "Proactively integrating itself into the country's overall development and carving out its role in national strategies, Hong Kong has maintained its strengths in its high degree of openness and in aligning with international rules. In doing so, the region has been playing an important role in raising China's opening up to a higher level with wider coverage and scope."

"That means boosting our traditional strengths - as an international financial, shipping and trading centre, and as a regional centre for legal and dispute-resolution services. It also means developing our prowess in other areas as well,” Lee was quoted as saying in the statement.

”That includes rising as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, an up-and-coming area accorded significance in the National 14th Five-Year Plan," he added.

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Lee said that reading the Hong Kong Chronicles will enhance understanding and appreciation of not only the nation's history, but also the future that offers wide-ranging opportunities for Hong Kong to take part in the nation's progress and development.

"As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the HKSAR's establishment, the publication of this first volume of the Hong Kong Chronicles in English is a fresh opportunity to tell the success story of Hong Kong,” Lee said.

"There will be a lot of exciting stories ahead of us and I cannot wait to enjoy them with you since we are, as I put it in my campaign slogan, 'Starting a New Chapter for Hong Kong Together.'”

According to the statement, the HKSAR government fully supports the publication of the Hong Kong Chronicles by the Hong Kong Chronicles Institute. 

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With the guiding editorial principle of recounting historical facts without interpretation, the Institute's goal is to produce a comprehensive, systematic and objective record of Hong Kong's heritage and history. 

Two Chinese-language volumes of the Hong Kong Chronicles, namely "Overview & Chronology" and "Hong Kong's Participation in National Reform and Opening-Up", have been published. The English version of "Overview & Chronology", which counts some 360,000 words and nearly 800 pages, was presented to its readers on Wednesday.

Lee expressed appreciation to the Hong Kong Chronicles Institute for bringing its professionalism and passion to this extraordinarily ambitious project, and thanked participating editors, experts and scholars, as well as relevant institutions, for their dedicated efforts.