A senior mainland official yesterday heaped praise on Hong Kong's economic and social achievements as Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen arrived in Beijing to begin his four-day duty visit.
Chen Zuoer, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said Mr Tsang's duty visit this year had its 'special characteristics'.
'Hong Kong's atmosphere is good, and its economy is good,' he said when he greeted Mr Tsang at Beijing airport. 'Yesterday, there was a Hong Kong media report that 300,000 smiling faces celebrated Christmas on the streets and that all the hotels in the city were full. [Hong Kong's] retail market has never been so good since the handover.'
Mr Chen said the city's booming economy was reflected by the fact that economic growth had reached 6.8 per cent, while unemployment had dipped. The government reported last week that the unemployment rate had edged down 0.1 point in November to sit at just 4.4 per cent.
Two-thirds of Hong Kong's gross domestic product came from domestic demand, Mr Chen noted.
'The most pleasing thing is that domestic demands not only rely on spending but also investments,' he said.
