While a safe, caring, vibrant, prosperous, inclusive and diversified community is what Hong Kong residents want the most, the incumbent government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region obviously has all its people’s aspirations at heart. Its newly released 2023 Policy Address has laid out a comprehensive blueprint that is set to steer Hong Kong to a new level of development.

Undoubtedly, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has a long list of priorities to tackle in order to steer Hong Kong through the economic headwinds. Nevertheless, he has chosen to firmly build on three fundamentals — national security, national education and national integration — to boost the city’s all-round performance in an orderly and harmonious manner in the years to come.

Working on the fundamentals shows Lee’s wise political acumen. The CE knows very well that the first priority must be a safe and stable Hong Kong.

This cannot be compromised even though Hong Kong has resumed stability after a four-year ordeal. So, besides prioritizing the economy and enhancing people’s livelihoods and happiness in the second Policy Address of his tenure, the CE also placed strong emphasis on consolidating the above-mentioned three fundamentals for healthy and steady growth.

Lee has pledged to complete the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law in 2024. His decision is justifiable because it is a constitutional responsibility of the SAR government. This should be carried out without further delay since it was not accomplished 20 years ago.

With a deadline of one year to finish the work of drawing up effective legislative options and completing the legislation of Article 23, the SAR government is determined to get the job done swiftly. Obviously, Lee is convinced that stronger protection against national security threats is as important as solving thorny economic and livelihood issues.

Residents have to bear in mind that the National Security Law for Hong Kong was legislated at State level and only deals with four criminal acts — secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.

It does not cover the seven offenses spelled out in Article 23, which include treason, sedition, theft of state secrets, foreign political groups conducting political activities in the city, and local bodies establishing ties with foreign counterparts.

However, the legislation of Article 23 alone is not sufficient to safeguard national security. To counter the ongoing propaganda against the central and the SAR governments, Lee has also pledged to beef up patriotic education in concert with the principle of “one country, two systems”, so that the public — the younger generation in particular — can gain a true understanding of traditional Chinese culture and values.

The Policy Address 2023 outlined a rosy future for Hong Kong. It needs all sectors of the community to work together to make it come true

The additional patriotism promotions introduced in the Policy Address — together with the remarkable results achieved by local and national athletes in international sports tournaments in recent years, China’s rapid progress in aerospace science and technology and other scientific areas, as well as its soaring reputation in international diplomacy — will surely help stir a stronger sense of national identity among the residents of Hong Kong, forming a strong shield against subversion propaganda.

One of the pressing challenges for the SAR government is to promote national integration so that the developments of Hong Kong are in line with the strategic development blueprint of the nation. This will definitely benefit the SAR, too. Under the “one country, two systems” framework, Hong Kong has the distinct advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, making it an ideal springboard for foreign companies to tap the huge Chinese mainland market, while at the same time offering a convenient platform for Chinese mainland companies to invest in overseas markets.

To guarantee all-around integration with the Chinese mainland, the Policy Address put forward various initiatives that involve many sectors, including the civil service, finance and commerce, medical, arts and culture, transportation, logistics, legal practice, education, and emergency response.

Nevertheless, national integration must not omit the participation of local youth. Besides committing to enhance the 160 measures in the Youth Development Blueprint released last year, the SAR government will also implement some new measures to encourage young people to start their businesses locally or in the cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). These initiatives include a new round of funding for youth entrepreneurship in the GBA and the establishment of the Alliance of Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Bases in the GBA.

Furthermore, it is also essential for civil servants from different cities in the region to have frequent in-depth exchanges to facilitate policymaking and implementation so that the overall development of the GBA is better coordinated. The Civil Service Staff Exchange Programme introduced in 2021 shall serve the purpose.

The eventual enactment of Article 23, the successful implementation of patriotic education and the seamless integration of the SAR into the national strategic blueprint will bring tremendous benefits to the city.

If the SAR administration can complete the three tasks — national security, national education and national integration — satisfactorily, the GBA, together with the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership could provide enormous opportunities for local businesses, professionals and university students to pursue their dreams on a vast open playing field in a safe and harmonious atmosphere.

The Policy Address 2023 outlined a rosy future for Hong Kong. It needs all sectors of the community to work together to make it come true.

The author, a Hong Kong-based freelance writer, is an adviser to the Hong Kong Association of Media Veterans.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.