Advertisement
Hong Kong politics
Hong KongPolitics

Hong Kong urged to focus on development while safeguarding national security

Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang praises Hong Kong for political and economic ‘breakthroughs’ over the past year

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang met Hong Kong’s NPC deputies on Friday in Beijng. Photo: Xinhua
Ng Kang-chung,Jeffie Lamin Hong KongandWilla Wuin Beijing

Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang has praised Hong Kong for having made political and economic “breakthroughs” in the past year, calling on the city to focus on its advancement while not lowering its guard on national security threats as it enters a new stage of development.

The state leader on Friday also urged Hong Kong to step up its efforts on the Northern Metropolis project and other neighbouring development zones, which he said could help the city’s economy, and to cooperate more closely with mainland China to accelerate fintech development.
Ding, the sixth-ranked member of the seven-strong Politburo Standing Committee who is a close aide of President Xi Jinping and in charge of Hong Kong affairs, delivered his messages to the city’s representatives in the National People’s Congress (NPC) in a meeting during the ongoing “two sessions” in Beijing.

“[We have to] firmly safeguard national security, and focus on economic advancement and development, and consolidate Hong Kong’s status as international financial, maritime and trade centres,” Ding was quoted by state-run CCTV as saying.

He also called on the NPC deputies to implement the spirit of the speech Xi made when he visited Macau to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese administration last December, which “pointed out the direction of development of Hong Kong and Macau”.

“We have to take up the important mission of the practice of ‘one country, two systems’ in the new era,” Ding was quoted by CCTV as saying, referring to the principle under which the two cities are governed.

Advertisement