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Hong Kong politics
Hong KongPolitics

Hong Kong must speed up economic development and integration with nation, Beijing officials warn lawmakers

  • Huang Liuquan of the State Council’s office overseeing the city’s affairs meets lawmakers in unprecedented session at legislature
  • After losing so much time to political infighting, Hong Kong needs to roll up its sleeves and focus on moving forward, he says

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Huang Liuquan, deputy director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, poses with the Beijing delegation and local lawmakers. Photo: Felix Wong
Jeffie Lam,Ng Kang-chungandLilian Cheng

Hong Kong must pick up the pace of its economic development and integration with mainland China for a brighter future as it has already wasted too much time on endless politicking and infighting, senior officials from Beijing have warned.

The stark reminder to make up for lost time came from a high-level delegation of Beijing officials and financial experts at a seminar for local authorities and an unprecedented session at the Legislative Council on Monday, laying out details of China’s 14th five-year plan and the central government’s expectations for the city to do its part in the national blueprint for development.

Leading the delegation, deputy director Huang Liuquan of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office became the first Beijing official to hold a forum at the legislature, urging lawmakers to focus on economic development after the city had wasted so much time on “endless political disputes and internal frictions”.

Luo Huining, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, at Monday’s seminar. Photo: SCMP Pictures
Luo Huining, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, at Monday’s seminar. Photo: SCMP Pictures
During the two-hour afternoon session at the dining hall of the Legco building at Tamar, Huang said the imposition of Hong Kong’s national security law, alongside Beijing’s drastic overhaul of the city’s electoral system, had ensured the steadfast and successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” governing principle.

“A favourable situation does not come easily,” he told dozens of lawmakers who attended the seminar. “Hong Kong right now needs to roll up its sleeves to focus on its development.”

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