Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang has praised Hong Kong for having made political and economic “breakthroughs” in the past year, calling on the city to focus on its advancement while not lowering its guard on national security threats as it enters a new stage of development.
The state leader on Friday also urged Hong Kong to step up its efforts on the Northern Metropolis project and other neighbouring development zones, which he said could help the city’s economy, and to cooperate more closely with mainland China to accelerate fintech development.
“[We have to] firmly safeguard national security, and focus on economic advancement and development, and consolidate Hong Kong’s status as international financial, maritime and trade centres,” Ding was quoted by state-run CCTV as saying.
“We have to take up the important mission of the practice of ‘one country, two systems’ in the new era,” Ding was quoted by CCTV as saying, referring to the principle under which the two cities are governed.