Xia is expected to gain in-depth understanding of city through meetings with different sectors
Xia Baolong (left), head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, arrives at Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday for a six-day inspection tour of the city. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)
Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, spoke highly of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s government work on Thursday as he kicked off a six-day stay in the HKSAR that will conclude on Tuesday.
Xia, who previously served as one of the vice-chairmen of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, will attend the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong National Security Education Day activities organized by the SAR government on Saturday.
I hope Xia Baolong will communicate with various sectors of society and learn more about Hong Kong’s developments as it advances from order to prosperity, as well as about the city’s latest situation following the recent national two sessions.
Starry Lee Wai-king, chairwoman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
On the first day of his visit, Xia heard work reports from and exchanged views with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and other top Hong Kong officials. He also had a talk with all non-official executive councilors to hear their views.
Lee told the media on Thursday that Xia gave full affirmation to the SAR government’s administration over the past nine months since the current-term officials took office in July, and encouraged them to keep up the good work.
He said the six-day visit fully reflects the care that Xia and the central government have for Hong Kong, believing that Xia will gain an in-depth understanding of various aspects of the city during the stay.
Lee said that Xia’s participation in the National Security Education Day ceremony demonstrated the central government’s firm stance and determination to safeguard national security.
He added that this year marks the beginning of fully implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In President Xi Jinping’s report delivered at the congress, he expounded the new strategy of improving “one country, two systems”, as well as Hong Kong’s future development path under the practice. Under this backdrop, Xia’s Hong Kong visit is of great significance, Lee said.
According to local media reports, Xia plans to have a series of meetings with Hong Kong SAR government officials, officials of HK-based central government departments, officials of State-owned enterprises, lawmakers, national political advisers, and representatives of other sectors in the city.
He will also reach out to grassroots families, visit schools, the Northern Metropolis, and technology and arts and cultural landmarks, the reports showed.
Starry Lee Wai-king, a Standing Committee member of the National People’s Congress and leader of the city’s largest political party — the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong — welcomed Xia’s visit.
She said she hopes Xia will communicate with various sectors of society and learn more about Hong Kong’s developments as it advances from order to prosperity, as well as about the city’s latest situation following the recent national two sessions.
Starry Lee said she believes that Xia’s visit will shed more light on the central government’s expectations and plans for Hong Kong’s future, and offer more guidance for the city’s ongoing development.
Lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen said that Xia’s trip is the first to be made by a central government official responsible for overseeing Hong Kong affairs since the end of the pandemic. He believes the visit will promote exchanges between the mainland and the city.
He said he will take the opportunity to show Xia how stable the situation is in Hong Kong society and how diversified the political system now is following the implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the improvement of the electoral system.
