Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has told the city’s administration to ensure better integration into national development strategies, as the financial hub can benefit from aligning with its counterparts in Guangdong province.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said on Tuesday that Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), gave the directions when he met top officials over the weekend.
“Director Xia is very, very concerned about Hong Kong. He highly recognised the work of the [Hong Kong] government under the leadership of the chief executive,” said Chan, who is Hong Kong’s No 2 official.
Xia passed on the message during his visit to two special cooperation zones operated by Hong Kong and neighbouring Shenzhen.
“He also directed that we should try our very best to integrate into the mainland’s national policies, especially the Greater Bay Area initiative. This is very important to Hong Kong,” Chan said.
The initiative refers to the national drive to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities in Guangdong into an economic powerhouse.