China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs has praised the city’s leader for making “positive progress” in boosting the economy and improving people’s livelihoods.
Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), arrived in Hong Kong on Wednesday evening for a five-day visit. He met with Chief Executive John Lee, other top officials, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung, and Chief Justice Andrew Cheung at Government House.
In a Chinese-language statement released after the meeting, the HKMAO said Xia praised Chief Executive John Lee for “implementing the important instructions” of China’s President Xi Jinping.
The Hong Kong leader has “taken proactive steps to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and security” and upheld the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong,” it also said.
The chief executive “has focused his efforts on boosting the economy, pursuing development, and improving people’s livelihoods – achieving positive progress across various areas,” the statement quoted Xia as saying.
Last month, the Hong Kong government announced that the city’s GDP grew by 3.1 per cent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year. On Tuesday, the Census and Statistics Department reported that the unemployment rate rose to 3.5 per cent for the March-to-May period, up from 3.4 per cent between February and April.
The Hong Kong government said on Wednesday night that Lee extended his warmest welcome to Xia and expressed gratitude to the Beijing official for his “continued concern and support for Hong Kong.”
Xia is scheduled to attend a government-organised forum on Saturday, marking the fifth anniversary of the enactment of the national security law.
Promotional materials released by the government on Tuesday showed that fencing athlete and Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong will be among the panellists, discussing how “security brings prosperity” and how to make patriotism a “mainstream value in society.”
The Beijing official, who is set to remain in Hong Kong until Sunday, is also expected to conduct inspections around the city, although the government has not disclosed details of his itinerary.
Xia first visited Hong Kong in April 2023, during which he gave a keynote speech on National Security Education Day.
At that time, he said the city “seems peaceful” but some “undercurrents are still simmering,” adding that the root of the 2019 extradition bill unrest had not been eliminated.
He made inspection visits to Hong Kong in February this year and last year. He visited Macau for six days last month.
Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong’s mini-constitution in June 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
