Xia Baolong (center), director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, waves before he visits Sham Shui Po District Health Centre, on April 14, 2023. Accompanying him was Chief Exceutive John Lee Ka-chiu (center back). (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong residents welcomed the visit by Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, saying that it demonstrates the central government’s care and concerns for the city’s residents. 

Xia visited two local centers, including one elderly community center, and listened to the opinions of residents on the second day of his six-day inspection tour in Hong Kong.

Calling Xia “gracious, kind and humorous”, Wong said Xia had spoken highly of the work of staff and volunteers at the center and had encouraged them to keep up the good work

On Friday morning, Xia visited the District Health Centre in the Sham Shui Po of Kowloon, and the Shamshuipo District Elderly Community Centre — which provides counseling and integrated home care services for the elderly. During the visit, he talked with staff, a volunteer and caretakers at the community center for the elderly and encouraged them to keep up the good work.

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Wong Siu-mui, 86, one of the volunteers at the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council — the NGO which runs the elderly community center — had briefly shared her feelings about her work with Xia.

Wong, who has worked for eight years in the community, said Xia had listened attentively to her talk about her work, which includes visiting the elderly in the community during holidays and festivals, contacting them by phone to participate in activities at the center, and providing daily necessities to elderly people with mobility difficulties and attending to their needs.

Calling Xia “gracious, kind and humorous”, Wong said Xia had spoken highly of the work of staff and volunteers at the center and had encouraged them to keep up the good work.

Wong added that Xia had also praised her fluent Mandarin and clear logic, which made her feel her work was meaningful.

She thanked the central government for its care and support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the residents. Wong said she had also relayed the wishes of the volunteers to Xia, which are to have a bigger space for the community center and more facilities to serve the elderly in the community.

“It’s definitely a good thing for Xia to come, which is conducive (for the central government) to have a better understanding of the needs of the resident in Hong Kong,” Fung Wai-ming, a retired resident in her 60s, told China Daily. 

Fung said Xia’s visits to the elderly center and district health center demonstrated his concern for the elderly and for medical care in Hong Kong.

Wong Siu-mui, an 86-year-old volunteer at the Shamshuipo District Elderly Community Centre, speaks with Xia Baolong about what her work involves at the center on Friday, the second day of Xia's six-day inspection tour in Hong Kong. (MIKE GU / CHINA DAILY)

Xia will also officiate the opening ceremony of the city's National Security Education Day, which will be held on Saturday morning and kick off a series of citywide activities that aims to raise local people's awareness of and sense of responsibility for safeguarding national security.

Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, the city's secretary for the civil service, said Xia's attendance mirrors the great importance the central government attaches to promoting national security education in Hong Kong.

READ MORE: Xia's visit highlights the importance of national security education

Yeung said the Civil Service College has made continuous efforts to strengthen the understanding of constitutional order and safeguarding national security among civil servants by providing relevant statutory courses, themed seminars and online learning materials.

This year, the college will also hold a series of seminars in a bid to help public servants foster a holistic view of national security. Yeung said the training aims to enhance the civil servants' understanding of the complex international environment Hong Kong faces and the responsibilities that they shoulder in safeguarding national security.

She also hopes that members of the civil service bear in mind the importance of safeguarding national security through the events and training in the future to ensure the city's long-term stability and prosperity.