Lu Xinning, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of "China: A Century of Changes, China Album Photograph Collections Exhibition" at the Hong Kong Central Library on Oct 8, 2021. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG - The central government’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong on Monday gave a comprehensive review of the latest favorable national policies on the special administrative region’s socioeconomic development.
In a meeting with 20 local media organizations, Lu Xinning, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, also summed up the office’s citywide campaign to engage local communities from Sept 30 to Sunday.
Lu put the central government’s latest moves in broad societal context, as she illustrated how blockbuster strategies, such as the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), have progressed since their inception.
Lu said such policies combined Hong Kong’s strengths with the country’s development needs, including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area project, the expanded Qianhai economic zone in Shenzhen, and the 21 concrete supportive policies rolled out this year.
Steps have been taken to bring the vision of the 14th Five-Year Plan to fruition, including making the SAR an international arts and culture hub, said Lu Xinning, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR
Lu listed official efforts to reopen Hong Kong’s border with the Chinese mainland, mainland internship programs for Hong Kong’s young people, and the first Greater Bay Area Legal Professional Examination on July 31, which 655 Hong Kong lawyers took. Those who passed the test will be able to practice in the nine Guangdong cities of the bay area.
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Steps have been taken to bring the vision of the 14th Five-Year Plan to fruition, including making the SAR an international arts and culture hub, Lu said.
The China National Arts Fund is now fully open to Hong Kong artists, and has received 66 applications from 44 organizations.
Like many others, this move was made after considering suggestions made by local arts and culture advocates, she said.
Lu noted that the central government has put forward specific policies centering on youth and practitioners in agriculture, fishery, law, and traditional Chinese medicine.
The Liaison Office gauged how these policies have been implemented during its 11-day community outreach program led by Director Luo Huining, she said.
Over 80 percent of the staff members of the Liaison Office talked to nearly 4,000 residents during the campaign. They visited 979 small-business owners and households living in cramped spaces such as subdivided flats and public rental homes, Lu said.
The office went through over 6,340 pieces of advice from the visits, with topics ranging from housing, education, youth development, the pandemic, and the city’s integration with the mainland.
Lu said the central government has always made Hong Kong’s economic development and people’s living conditions a priority, and that the Liaison Office will continue to implement related policies to unite various sectors.
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The office will continue to support the Hong Kong chief executive and the SAR government in their efforts to exercise law-based governance, promote social, economic development, and maintain the city’s long-term stability and prosperity, Lu said.
