Editorial | Hong Kong’s role in national development is clearer than ever
Top leaders at the annual ‘two sessions’ have given city a blueprint to follow as country navigates geopolitical storm that has intensified under Donald Trump
Beijing’s firm support has always been the strongest guarantee of Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity. This has been reaffirmed as the country charts the way forward during the “two sessions” – the largest annual political gathering in the capital this month.
Increasingly, the city reciprocates and strives to compliment national development that yields mutually beneficial dividends, and rightly so.
In his work report to the National People’s Congress meeting, Premier Li Qiang said Hong Kong and Macau should deepen their international exchanges and cooperation, grow their economies and improve livelihoods amid an “increasingly complex and severe external environment”.
Speaking to local delegates at the two sessions, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, also head of the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs, described Hong Kong as a diamond and urged it to strengthen its focus on economic growth, including enhancing cooperation with the mainland on fintech development, and further consolidate the city’s status as an international financial, maritime and trade centre.
With the 2019 political turmoil largely stabilised, the focus has moved from national security to economic development. This echoes the direction championed by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu. Sharing his takeaways on the meeting in social media, the Hong Kong leader pledged to fully implement the spirit of the two sessions.
The calls to deepen international exchanges and cooperation have been mentioned by state leaders and senior officials before. But they now take on greater significance as US-China rivalry and geopolitical tensions intensify under Donald Trump’s leadership.