About 60 percent of residents recognize the importance of Hong Kong’s role in the nation’s comprehensive deepening of reforms, while over 70 percent are aware of the city’s great advantages in promoting the country's opening-up, a survey has found.
Local think tank the Bauhinia Institute conducted a random telephone survey between July 25 and Aug 3, interviewing 451 Hong Kong adults to collect their views on the Resolution of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on furthering deepening reform to advance Chinese modernization, adopted at the plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee last month.
About 65.7 percent of respondents said they recognize the resolution’s significance for setting the direction of the country’s development, while over 60 percent expressed confidence in China’s development prospects.
More than 66.4 percent of respondents said they recognize Hong Kong’s important role in helping the country achieve its goals in deepening reforms, which include building a high-standard socialist market economy, improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, modernizing the country's system and the capacity for governance, and realizing socialist modernization.
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The think tank believes the figures reveal that Hong Kong residents recognize there is a close connection between the city and the country, and that Hong Kong should leverage its unique strengths under the principle of “one country, two systems” to contribute to the process of Chinese modernization.
The respondents also expressed confidence that Hong Kong can play a greater role in promoting the country's opening-up to the outside world, with 72.2 percent expressing their consent to such efforts.
Over 80 percent of respondents said they support the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s moves to introduce more measures to consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international financial, shipping and trade center, while over 68.2 percent said they expect the government to be able to attract more talent to the city.
Over 70 percent of respondents also expressed their support for strengthening Hong Kong’s cooperation with the Chinese mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as for Hong Kong’s early participation in the country's 15th Five-Year Plan.
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After analyzing the results of the survey, the think tank called on the SAR government to actively implement the positioning of Hong Kong in accordance with the resolution of the plenary session, and to contribute Hong Kong's strengths to implementing the reforms as scheduled.
The institute believes that Hong Kong can better leverage its institutional advantages under "one country, two systems" and actively strengthen Hong Kong's position as an international financial, shipping and trade center.
The city should also introduce more measures to attract international talent and to develop a high-end talent-gathering hub, the institute said.
The institute called on the SAR government to strengthen and promote the alignment of mechanisms and rules within the GBA so as to improve the implementation of the regional coordinated development strategy, and to step up its role as a driving force for high-quality development.