19th congress seminar helpful: HKSAR Govt
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will benefit greatly from the seminar explaining the fundamentals of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the country’s ruling party, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
His statement followed an internal seminar in Hong Kong chaired by Leng Rong, director of the Party Literature Research Office of the CPC Central Committee. This was for the city’s high-level officials to learn about the Party’s 19th National Congress that concluded last month.
Leng detailed the spirit of the congress from the perspective of the country’s development, the spokesman said.
Attendees numbered about 240 and included the city’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, politically appointed officials, non-official members of the Executive Council and other senior government officials.
“The 19th CPC National Congress is of utmost and far-reaching significance for the development of our country and also great importance to Hong Kong,” the spokesman said.
He said the seminar is “conducive to a deeper appreciation” of the spirit of the 19th Party congress and its contents by local officials, and will facilitate the work of the SAR government.
Previously, the SAR government has organized a series of seminars on national affairs by inviting mainland officials, experts and academics to speak on various topics.
Through the presentations and discussions, senior government officials and those who take part in policymaking can gain a better understanding of the issues, the spokesman said.
Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR, has also been invited to the seminar to present the content involving Hong Kong, according to the government spokesman.
The section on Hong Kong affairs in the report delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the congress outlined support from the central government for Hong Kong’s integration into national development strategies.
It also emphasized that the central government will ensure its overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong and the city’s high degree of autonomy.
Hong Kong should sort out the relationship between the city and the country, the central government’s top liaison official in the special administrative region said on Thursday.
Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, made the remarks at an internal seminar for the city’s high-level officials. He was discussing the fundamental ideas of the 19th National Congress of the country’s ruling party — the Communist Party of China.
Wang was invited by the SAR government to elaborate on details at the congress which had concerned Hong Kong, explained a government spokesman.
The Liaison Office chief urged the SAR to straighten out the relationship between “one country” and “two systems”, the central government’s overall jurisdiction and the city’s high degree of autonomy, and also the country’s Constitution and the SAR’s Basic Law.
He said “one country” is the basic premise of “two systems”. “‘Two systems’ could not function without ‘one country’,” Wang stressed.
The national Constitution remained one of fundamental pillars when it came to implementing “one country, two systems”, added Wang.
He hopes the SAR can sort out the relationship between its own development and its integration into the nation’s strategies.
Wang said national development strategies, including the Belt and Road Initiative and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area blueprint, will provide vital opportunities as well as platforms for the city’s development.
Hong Kong residents, especially young people, should seize these opportunities. They should also share, with mainland people, the “historic responsibility” of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and prosperity brought by a stronger China, he said.
Wang told local officials the Liaison Office and the SAR government shared the same goal: to build a better Hong Kong. This was despite of some cultural differences, he added.
Wang was speaking in front of some 240 senior officials at the SAR government headquarters with Leng Rong, director of the Party Literature Research Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Leng elaborated on the spirit of the recent 19th CPC National Congress from the perspective of the country’s development.
The seminar aimed at helping senior government officials and community leaders in Hong Kong to acquire a better understanding of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s report delivered at the 19th CPC National Congress.
‘One country’ is the basic premise of ‘two systems’. ‘Two systems’ could not function without ‘one country’.”
Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR