Xia Baolong (center), director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, waves before meeting members of local and foreign chambers. At Central Government Offices in Admiralty, Hong Kong, on April 17, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, focused on Hong Kong’s business and scientific development during the fifth day of his inspection tour of the city, and planned a series of meetings with business and higher education representatives.

The central government official, who will wrap up his six-day tour on Tuesday, exchanged views with leaders of commercial chambers at the special administrative region’s Central Government Offices. He then visited the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, and met with representatives of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and other financial leaders.

In the afternoon, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, went to the Hong Kong Science Park and met with heads of the city’s eight universities

In the afternoon, he went to the Hong Kong Science Park and met with heads of the city’s eight universities. Following that, he will head to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and talk with its president Nancy Chu Ip Yuk-yu and some professors.

Allen Shi Lop-tak, president of the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong (CMA), attended the meeting with Xia in the morning. He said the participants, who are representatives of local and overseas commercial chambers, briefed Xia on Hong Kong’s business environment as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Xia said that the “one country, two systems” principle in Hong Kong will be adhered to in the long run, and that Hong Kong will maintain stability and enjoy more prosperity and freedom than before as long as the city continues to take advantage of the Basic Law, according to Shi.

Shi said he told Xia that he hopes the central government will provide more favorable policies and incentives for Hong Kong businesses to expand on the Chinese mainland, unify goods importation standards between the two places and strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights.

Xia said he will consider the suggestions after returning to Beijing and hopes they can be adopted in the near future, according to Shi.

CMA vice-president Simon Wong Ka-wo, who also attended the meeting, quoted Xia as saying that the city will achieve greater prosperity under the National Security Law for Hong Kong, and the country’s continuous opening-up will bring Hong Kong more opportunities.

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Wong added that Xia expressed concern about the plight of small and medium-sized enterprises in Hong Kong. Wong said at the meeting that more than 3,000 CMA members are SMEs that have been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and he hopes that the central government can devise policies to support those SMEs.

Xia agreed that more in-depth communication is needed on the issue with CMA representatives when they next visit Beijing, Wong said.