Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has urged the business sector to study and take “practical actions” and seize on the city’s strengths to implement a call by President Xi Jinping in a recent letter rallying entrepreneurs to contribute to the country’s reform and opening up.
The message from Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, was read out by Zheng Yanxiong, director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city, on Tuesday at a seminar organised by local business chambers.
In a rare move last week, Xi wrote a letter replying to Hong Kong business leaders who are descendants of pioneering Ningbo-born entrepreneurs in the city and asked them to make greater contributions to the nation’s modernisation.
Xia, in response to Xi’s reply, urged the business sector to play to Hong Kong’s strengths under the “one country, two systems” governing principle and turn their patriotism and love for the city into practical action.
“We have to thoroughly learn the spirit of Xi’s reply and the spirit of the third plenum, combined with the overall situation of the country’s reform and opening up and the actual situation of Hong Kong and Macau, giving full play to the advantages of the one country, two systems principle,” Xia wrote.
“[We should] continue to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong’s status as an international financial, maritime and trading centre and create an international hub for high-quality talent.”
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China’s Communist Party wraps up policy meeting amid growing uncertainties
China’s Communist Party wraps up policy meeting amid growing uncertainties
The Communist Party adopted a resolution during its third plenum last month to further deepen reform towards promoting high-quality development to build China into a modern socialist country.
Xia said the business sector should also improve the mechanism where Hong Kong and Macau could play a better role in the country’s reform and opening up, help the Greater Bay Area better portray itself as the engine of high-quality development, and promote the development of “new quality productive forces”.
Hong Kong officials earlier said new quality productive forces, mentioned in this year’s national “government work report”, meant advancement in productivity.
Xia met Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po last month and called on city officials to “recognise, respond to and spark changes to achieve better development through reform”.
He urged Hong Kong and Macau society, especially the business sector, to do the same in his remarks on Tuesday, adding that they should be guided by Xi’s reply and pass on their “patriotic heart”.
“[They should] support the chief executive and the government to govern in accordance with the law, translating the spirit of patriotism, love for Hong Kong and Macau into practical actions, and promote the one country, two systems principle in a steady manner,” he wrote.
“[They should] also realise better development for Hong Kong and Macau, and make new and greater contributions to enhancing the construction of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the nation.”
In his letter, Xi expressed gratitude to the businesspeople for their ongoing support of their hometown Ningbo and the nation, while asking them to leverage their respective strengths and actively participate in the country’s reform and opening up.
Ningbo, a city in Zhejiang province, is known as an important port and an industrial hub in China. It is also where Xi served as party secretary from 2002 to 2007.
The Ningbo businesspeople were named “Ningbo bang” for their efforts in establishing China’s first modern bank, stock exchange, insurance company, post office, fashion school and various speciality factories spanning cosmetics and food additives to matches and soap. In Chinese, bang means a cluster of people who are bonded together by the same goals and ideals.
Zheng, in his speech, said Xi’s reply was not only encouragement to the Hong Kong entrepreneurs linked to Ningbo, but also implied great expectations lay on the city’s whole business sector.
He said Hong Kong would be able to “make use of its talent” under the measures proposed in the third plenum.
“Hong Kong’s business sector has a fine tradition of being discerning and insightful, and good at grasping opportunities,” he said.
“They should seize the opportunity and take the lead in studying, comprehending, grasping and implementing the spirit of the third plenum.”
Zheng also urged Hong Kong to become a “stakeholder”, “pioneer”, “contributor” and “innovator” in the nation’s reform and opening up.
“Hong Kong should take ownership in taking part in the further deepening of reform, not as a bystander, but as a participant of the process,” he said.
“Hong Kong must fully grasp what to hold on to and cannot be changed, what to keep up with, what to adopt changes together on and what to take the lead in adapting changes.”
He added the city had to connect systems on both sides of the border and turn itself from a “superconnector” into a “super-moneymaker”.
Chan, the finance chief, said Xi’s reply was affirmation for Ningbo-linked entrepreneurs, with “sincere expectations” for all businesspeople who were patriotic and had a love for Hong Kong, the commerce sector, and residents.
He said Hong Kong would continue to play its “unique” dual roles in the country’s modernisation with “wider room” and “bigger opportunities” for development.
“Under the complicated external environment, Hong Kong enterprises and financial institutions have to recognise, respond to and seek changes, and actively explore new markets while continuing to cultivate the existing traditional markets,” he said.
Jonathan Choi Koon-shum, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, said Xi’s compliments on the “Ningbo bang” represented Beijing’s affirmation of Hong Kong enterprises’ efforts in taking part in the country’s development.
He said the chamber would continue to promote the participation of its members in development projects in the Greater Bay Area, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting the commercial sector’s integration into the country and connection with the world.
Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong president Lo Kam-wing said Xi’s letter had inspired his sense of mission and responsibility.
He said the association would closely follow the country’s needs and collaborate with mainland Chinese enterprises to showcase their products on the world stage.
