Sze Wing-wai, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attends a group interview ahead of the closing meeting of the third session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 10, 2025. (Photo by Wang Jing/chinadaily.com.cn)
National political advisers from Hong Kong and Macao on Monday said that the two special administrative regions' accomplishments have been intertwined with national development.
On Monday morning, Hong Kong and Macao members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the nation's top political advisory body, attended the closing meeting of the third session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, drawing the weeklong event to a conclusion.
Speaking during the "passage interviews" before the closing meeting, Irons Sze Wing-wai, a national political advisor from Hong Kong, attributed the city's status as a global finance, shipping and trading hub to the nation's development.
Citing personal business success stories stemming from the nation's reform and opening-up since the late 1970s, Sze added that the "one country, two systems" principle, implemented after Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, also grants institutional support for Hong Kong to consolidate traditional strengths while further integrating into the nation's overall development.
As of 2024, over 1,400 mainland enterprises have been listed in Hong Kong's stock market, accounting for over 80 percent of the total market value, a fact that shows the Hong Kong financial market's appeal to mainland businesses, according to Sze.
He also pointed out that a significant proportion of Hong Kong's port activity involves cargo to and from the Chinese mainland, underlining the city's economic synergy with national progress.
Sze said the future of Hong Kong lies in resonating with the country's advancement, urging the city to carry on the Lion Rock Spirit — referring to Hong Kong people's can-do attitude — facing up to challenges and leveraging its strengths to better serve the country's needs.
Ho Ion-sang, a CPPCC National Committee member from Macao, recalled that city's profound social and economic changes over the past 25 years under the "one country, two systems" principle.
Ho mentioned the progress of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, a national initiative put forward by the central authorities to enhance collaboration between Guangdong and Macao, saying it provides not only diversified industrial opportunities for the special administrative region, but also various facilities designed to improve the lives and employment opportunities of Macao residents.
The Macau New Neighbourhood project, a complex in Hengqin that has integrated residential, commercial and public service functions following Macao standards, has been warmly welcomed by Macao residents who work or live in the mainland, said Ho.
Ho also noted that Macao's education and healthcare sectors, as well as public services, have also been extended to Hengqin to cater to the Hengqin-based Macao residents.
The integration of Macao and Hengqin, according to Ho, exemplifies the success of the "one country, two systems" principle in enhancing the city's prosperity and winning the hearts of its residents.
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