A senior Beijing official overseeing Hong Kong affairs has arrived in the city for a five-day visit in which he is expected to meet representatives from the education and business sectors before giving a keynote speech on national security.
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Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, arrived in the city at around 5pm on Wednesday via the Shenzhen Bay border crossing, with sources saying he will attend a dinner hosted by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in the evening.
Xia’s trip, which follows a seven-day inspection visit he made to Hong Kong in February last year, is mostly to attend a key forum on Saturday marking the fifth anniversary of the imposition of the national security law, according to insiders.
A source said the trip would help the central government understand Hong Kong’s overall situation and propose an optimal plan for the city’s better integration with mainland China’s next-stage development. Beijing is finalising its 15th five-year plan for national economic and social development.
In May, President Xi Jinping called for the public’s feedback on the nation’s 2026-30 national economic development plan, with an emphasis on science and modernisation.
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In the past few months, Xi and other top Chinese leaders have been travelling around the country to lay the groundwork for the new blueprint and a coming party plenum. A comprehensive catalogue of quantifiable socio-economic goals will be made public in March.