The new Hong Kong SAR Government has many bright spots: dare to take responsibility, do practical things, and display its advantages

In 2023, the HKSAR governance team and all sectors of society will work with a high-spirited attitude and pragmatic style to promote Hong Kong's exit from the epidemic and usher in an overall recovery under the guidance of President Xi's important speech at the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

This year, standing at a new historical starting point, Hong Kong has burst out with strong momentum from governance to prosperity. The national security line has been continuously strengthened, the governance capacity of the HKSAR Government has been enhanced, Hong Kong's high-quality development has been vibrant, and the people's sense of happiness has been steadily enhanced.

Improve regional governance and improve governance efficiency

On 10 December 2023, the 7th District Council Election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was successfully held. This is the first District Council election in the HKSAR after the reshaping of the District Council system, and it is another important practice to fully implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and strive to improve the level of governance, injecting strong momentum into the HKSAR's efforts to improve regional governance, enhance service to the people, and further consolidate the foundation for governance and social prosperity.

The HKSAR has reshaped the District Council system and put them back on the right track as stipulated in the Basic Law. Under the new system, District Councils will be able to play an active role in "advising and assisting the Government" under the direct leadership and co-ordination of the HKSAR Government, thereby opening up the "last mile" of regional governance in the HKSAR, strengthening administrative leadership, enhancing governance efficiency, responding to public concerns, and promoting good governance.

To help the new-term District Councils better discharge their duties, the HKSAR Government has organised a training course on district governance for the elected District Council members, and promulgated the Guidelines on the Supervision System for the Performance of Duties by District Council Members and the revised Model of the District Council Practices.

"We need to bring the District Councils back to their original aspiration of working for the well-being of the people, set an example of patriotism and love for Hong Kong with concrete actions, and promote the pace of Hong Kong's governance and prosperity to be more stable and better. Kwok Fu Rong, the re-elected Kwai Tsing District Councillor, feels a heavy responsibility on her shoulders.

In the past year, the HKSAR Government has made great efforts to establish and improve the governance system in different areas, and the results have been remarkable.

The District Governance Leadership Committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Chan Kwok-ki, has formulated a specific strategic direction on five issues of general public concern, including expanding after-school care, caring for the elderly, building clean markets, enhancing law and order and improving pedestrian facilities. The District Governance Task Force, chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, has clarified the implementation details and timetable for the above five issues, and is making every effort to implement them.

Mr Chan said that after taking office, the first task of the new term of District Council members is to collect public opinion in the district on the five priority areas proposed by the District Governance Leadership Committee, and assist the HKSAR Government in formulating the priorities of various services, which will be implemented by the District Service and Care Team.

Dare to take responsibility and firmly safeguard national security

April 15 this year is the third National Security Education Day after the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong. For the first time, the 18 districts of Hong Kong held national security education activities at the same time, and many people went out of their homes to participate in various edutainment activities. According to the latest survey, more than 80 per cent of the public believe that Hong Kong has become safer after the implementation of the National Security Law.

In May, the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passed the Legal Practitioners (Amendment) Bill 2023. The spirit of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress's previous interpretation of the relevant provisions of the Hong Kong National Security Law has been implemented in the HKSAR through local laws, adapting to the new situation and new requirements of implementing the Hong Kong National Security Law and safeguarding national security.

"The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) has interpreted the Hong Kong National Security Law for the first time, which is of great significance in clarifying the original legislative intent of the law and plugging the loopholes in the relevant laws of the HKSAR, so that the Hong Kong National Security Law can play a more important role in safeguarding national security in the future. Liu Zhaojia, consultant of the National Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said.

As for how to further implement the constitutional responsibility of safeguarding national security, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), John Lee, made it clear that "the four aspects of improving the national security system, enhancing the ability to safeguard national security, improving the level of national security governance, and improving social governance to respond to the needs of the public should be implemented in all four aspects." ”

In his 2023 Policy Address, John Lee pointed out that the HKSAR Government is making every effort to study effective legislative options to implement the constitutional responsibilities that the HKSAR Government should fulfill, and complete the enactment of Article 23 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region within 2024.

Pay attention to people's livelihood and strive to solve the problem of worry

"The current-term HKSAR Government has always regarded satisfying the expectations of the whole society, especially ordinary citizens, as its greatest pursuit in its administration, and has made every effort to bring about the dawn of easing the deep-seated contradictions in society. Chen Yong, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress and a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said.

Retired citizen Ho Yuen-ming's family recently completed house repairs with the help of the Yeung Uk Road Care Team in Tsuen Wan, and the housing problems that had plagued her family for many years were resolved. With the establishment and commissioning of the "District Service and Care Team" covering all 18 districts in Hong Kong, it is like a "capillary" extending the tentacles of grassroots governance to the very end.

Solve the housing problem for a long time. "The youth hostel has a good rent and an ideal environment, and I am very happy to be able to move in. In March, Mr. Ho, a 26-year-old citizen who works in the hairdressing industry, successfully moved into Hong Kong's first youth hostel in Causeway Bay. The project, which only requires a monthly rent of HK$3,800 to HK$4,800, provides Hong Kong youths with an alternative to waiting for public housing or HOS flats.

To alleviate intergenerational poverty, the HKSAR Government launched the "Teen Programme", and the first batch of 2,800 trainees recently graduated. "This program has made me feel cared for by all walks of life and I have found areas of interest. Student Lin Anqian said.

There is no trivial matter in people's livelihood, and the branches and leaves are always related. Mr Lee titled the 2023 Policy Address "Striving for Economic Development, Benefiting People's Livelihood and Happiness", covering 640 policy measures in six major areas, responding to topics of widespread concern to Hong Kong people.

"The current-term HKSAR Government has been very efficient in responding to people's concerns and resolving livelihood issues, and is committed to adding 'stable happiness' to every citizen. Citizen Liu Lirong said.

Take the initiative to enhance the momentum of development

In 2023, the HKSAR Government will actively showcase Hong Kong's new advantages to the outside world and enhance its development momentum.

Full speed to "grab talents" and "grab enterprises". As at the end of November, more than 200,000 applications had been received for the various talent admission schemes in Hong Kong, nearly four times the number of applications in 2022.

In October, the Office for the Introduction of Strategic Enterprises of the HKSAR Government held a signing ceremony with the first batch of 20 enterprises from the Mainland and overseas. As one of the first key enterprises to be introduced, Sirnaomics will set up production facilities and R&D centers in Hong Kong, and invest US$40 million to US$50 million to establish a production base.

To consolidate the momentum of economic recovery, the HKSAR Government has launched a series of activities such as "Happy Hong Kong" and "Hong Kong Night Fun" to encourage consumption: about 660,000 people visited the lantern displays during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the National Day fireworks display attracted more than 430,000 people on both sides of Victoria Harbour......

As a new engine driving Hong Kong to new heights and an important platform for actively integrating into the overall development of the country and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the development of the Northern Metropolis has attracted much attention. In October, the HKSAR Government promulgated the Northern Metropolis Action Plan, outlining the development positioning of the four major regions in the Northern Metropolis and showing the future development of the four major sectors.

Over the past year, the HKSAR Government has introduced a series of measures to strengthen Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international financial centre, such as reducing transaction costs and optimising transaction procedures, expanding the Belt and Road Initiative in markets such as ASEAN, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa, and strengthening technology co-operation with the Mainland with the strong support of the Central Government......

"The current-term HKSAR Government has adopted an industry-oriented policy and promoted a new governance culture of 'results-oriented', which will better integrate a promising government with an efficient market to promote the high-quality development of Hong Kong's economy with practical measures. Tam Kam-qiu, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of the Friends of Hong Kong Association, said that all walks of life in Hong Kong have more confidence in the future development.

The data supports Hong Kong's continued economic recovery: Hong Kong's GDP grew by 2.9% and 1.5% year-on-year in real terms in the first two quarters of this year, and by 4.1% in the third quarter.

On December 18, President Xi Jinping met with the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee, who was on his way to Beijing to report on his duties, fully affirmed the work of the Chief Executive and the HKSAR Government, stressed that the central authorities have comprehensively, accurately and unswervingly implemented the principle of "one country, two systems" for a long time, and gave important instructions on the development of the HKSAR. People from all walks of life in Hong Kong were greatly encouraged and said that President Xi's important speech has injected strong confidence into Hong Kong's development, and the vitality and superiority of "one country, two systems" will continue to emerge.

"As long as we trust our country, Hong Kong and Hong Kong people, we will be able to face different challenges, seize more opportunities and create a better future. Li Jiachao said.