Xia Baolong (center), director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, waves as he concludes his six-day visit to Hong Kong and prepares to board a flight back on April 18, 2023. Accompanying him is Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki (right). (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, on Tuesday concluded his six-day inspection tour in Hong Kong with visits to the University of Hong Kong and local secondary and primary schools, where he listened to youngsters.

The central government official went to HKU on Tuesday morning and visited the library on the campus. He then inspected the Faculty of Engineering's Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing, an open platform for students and researchers to foster interdisciplinary innovations in engineering and science.

Xia also had lunch with HKU president and vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang and listened to him introduce the university's development blueprint.

In the afternoon, Xia Baolong went to the Chinese Foundation Secondary School at Chai Wan, Hong Kong Island. During his visit, he listened to students discuss their studies of Chinese history, liberal studies as well as citizenship and social development

Hung Yee-ning, a freshman majoring in journalism at HKU, said much attention has been given to Xia’s visit to Hong Kong, in particular his visit to the university.

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“It’s expected that Xia's coming to the HKU will strengthen the ties between mainland universities and the universities in Hong Kong,” Hung said. He also expressed hopes for enhanced collaboration between universities of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, with the introduction of advanced development concepts of the top universities in the mainland, such as Tsinghua University and Peking University, to HKU.

Gao Ningling, a senior in accounting and finance at HKU who comes from the mainland, said that Xia’s visit to HKU shows that the central government pays great attention to the development of the university. She also expressed hopes that his visit can enhance the comprehensive strengths of HKU and improve education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a whole.

In the afternoon, Xia went to the Chinese Foundation Secondary School at Chai Wan, Hong Kong Island. During his visit, he listened to students discuss their studies of Chinese history, liberal studies as well as citizenship and social development.

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After that, Xia visited a primary school in Hung Hom, Kowloon, concluding his six-day inspection visit, which began on Thursday. During the past five days, Xia has met with government officials, members of the judiciary, the legislative branch and the community, and has visited local health and elderly facilities.

He left Hong Kong by plane in the afternoon.