Focus on development and cherish stability, Xia Baolong urges Hong Kong

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), also said on Tuesday that the city enjoyed “favourable timing, advantageous location and unity of the people” in pursuing development, while calling for work on the Northern Metropolis megaproject to be sped up.

Xia delivered the remarks during a closed-door meeting with Hong Kong and Macau members of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the HKMAO’s new headquarters in Beijing. The meeting was held a day before the annual session of the CPPCC, the country’s top political advisory body, convened.

The HKMAO said in a statement issued after the meeting that Xia had called on the delegates to recognise the significance of the country’s 15th five-year plan, to cherish the hard-won favourable environment and to keep “national priorities” in mind.

During his 30-minute speech, Xia also underscored the need for Hong Kong to concentrate on development amid a complex geopolitical landscape, without directly naming the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, attendees said.