BEIJING – Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang on Friday endorsed Hong Kong’s progress in integrating into the national development over the past year.

He also called on the city to boost its unique status and advantages, according to national lawmakers from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Ding made the remarks during a closed-door meeting with Hong Kong deputies to the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature.

Ding lauded Hong Kong's brightening economic outlook, noting reinvigorated property and stock markets following the central government’s support. He also hailed the city's successful completion of Article 23 legislation, the Hong Kong delegation told reporters after the meeting.

Ding, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, was quoted as calling for safeguarding national security, unified economic development efforts, and concrete steps to bolster the city’s unique advantages on the international stage.

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He also urged NPC deputies from Hong Kong to promote the two sessions’ spirit in the city, support the SAR government, and maintain social stability under the “one country, two systems” framework.

Hong Kong’s unique advantages lie in its role as a “super-connector” linking the Chinese mainland and overseas markets. The central government pledged to fully support Hong Kong for “deepening international exchanges and cooperation”, as outlined in the Government Work Report.

At the meeting, Starry Lee Wai-king, Hong Kong’s deputy to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, highlighted the importance of upholding national security, the “one country and two systems” principle, and “constitutional order” of Hong Kong.

“National sovereignty, security, and development interests are paramount and constitute the highest principle of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, which must never be shaken,” she said. “We must take the lead in respecting and safeguarding the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

She called on Hong Kong deputies to “firmly uphold the constitutional order established by the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law” and “dare to oppose all words and actions that violate the Constitution and the Basic Law or undermine national security”.

Lee also urged them to serve as pioneers in leveraging the SAR’s unique advantages and strengthening both internal and external connections, and participate in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

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“Hong Kong is our country’s most international city, with legal systems, business frameworks, financial market rules, and capital flows fully aligned with global standards,” Rock Chen Chung-nin, a national lawmaker from Hong Kong, told reporters on the sidelines of the group meeting.

As an international financial hub, the city “can now utilize this advantage, particularly in helping mainland enterprises — both State-owned and private — to expand globally,” he said.

He suggested expanding the dual-listing program, allowing qualified companies that first listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to return to the mainland for secondary listings. Under the current regulations, firms listed overseas or on the mainland can dual-list on the Hong Kong market.

Iris Wong Ping-fan, another NPC deputy from Hong Kong, said the special administrative region should fully leverage its advantages to broaden international cooperation, particularly with the Middle East, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

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Gordon Lam Chi-wing, who is also a Hong Kong NPC deputy, echoed Wong, saying that Hong Kong must deepen cooperation with other cities in the Greater Bay Area, especially in the field of science and technology innovation, while fostering overseas partnerships with countries involved in the BRI.

Other attendees of the closed-door meeting included Science and Technology Minister Yin Hejun; Wang Zhijun, deputy secretary-general of the State Council; Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee; Zheng Yanxiong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Contact the writer at tianyuanzhang@chinadailyhk.com