Beijing’s top man in Hong Kong hails return of lustre to ‘Pearl of the Orient’, warns residents to stay alert for ‘hostile forces’

Liaison office head Luo Huining gives speech ahead of Lunar New Year, praises return of ‘lustre and glamour’ to city

Pre-recorded address also calls for improvements in ‘systems and mechanisms’ to resolve citywide issues, vigilance by residents against ‘hostile forces’

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Liaison office head Luo Huining delivers an address to mark the upcoming Lunar New Year in a pre-recorded message. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Published: 10:01pm, 26 Jan 2022Updated: 1:00am, 27 Jan 2022

Beijing’s top representative to Hong Kong has urged residents to work with the city government by building on the positive progress made since the imposition of the national security law, urging them to remain alert against “hostile forces”.

“The Pearl of the Orient has re-emerged with renewed lustre and glamour,” said Luo Huining, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong during a pre-recorded address on Wednesday to mark the coming Lunar New Year.

Titled “Let the light of history illuminate the future of Hong Kong”, Luo’s 10-minute speech focused on the restoration of the city’s social order over the past years under the leadership and support of the Communist Party.

He told viewers of a need to build up and improve “systems and mechanisms” and resolve “many deep-seated” problems for good governance to be achieved.

But the liaison chief also issued a warning in his address, saying there were “hostile forces that refuse to accept defeat”. He added that if residents were “dodging responsibility”, it would also undermine meaningful change in the city.

Hailing the success of Hong Kong’s model of governance, Luo said: “The naysayers and saboteurs of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle have invariably ended up being disappointed and against the will of the people.”