Even though the event he spoke at was to mark National Security Education Day, Xia did not dwell at length on security threats and instead spent a major portion of his address urging the city to focus on achieving new economic ambitions.

“I hope that Hong Kong will hold conventions and exhibitions every day, engage in innovation and technology, and fight for the economy,” he said on Saturday, quipping to a 1,000-strong audience that they should also enjoy “horse racing, dancing, speculating on stocks and making big money”.

Xia’s reference to “ride horses and dance” echoed a famous quote from the late paramount former leader Deng Xiaoping who promised that “horse racing will continue, dancing parties will go on” as he vowed that Hong Kong’s capitalist instincts would remain unchanged after the city’s return to Chinese rule from the British in 1997.

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Another part of Xia’s speech widely discussed among the audience was his mention of “demonstrations”. The Beijing official said they were not the only way to express different groups’ interests, especially when citizens’ intentions could be manipulated. The advice was read by some analysts and politicians as Xia singling out protests as a new “no-go area” for residents.

Hours after Xia made his call, the pro-Beijing Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, which had earlier applied to hold a rally of 200 people on April 29, said it would consider retrieving their application and scaling down the event even as it insisted the rethink was unrelated to the Beijing official’s appeal.

“Over the past two weeks, some workers have said they will not attend the rally as they do not want to be in the limelight,” federation chairman Lam Chun-sing said.

“Hong Kong should not treat political struggles as an important part of the city life as before,” Lau said. “There is a more urgent need for Hong Kong’s economy to get back on track as soon as possible.”

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Lau added that the central government understood that the public still had grievances about societal problems related to youth development, housing and poverty, but relevant protests could be taken advantage of when Hong Kong still faced national security threats.

“Xia doesn’t mean that residents cannot protest in the future, but they have to consider the big picture,” Lau said, adding that residents could voice their opinion via lawmakers and patriotic groups.

Ivan Choy Chi-keung, a political scientist at Chinese University, said Xia’s remarks had given a money-grubbing impression.

“Being a cosmopolitan city is not only about moneymaking but also building a rich cultural scene, among others,” he said.

“Asking people to read more, write more and perhaps perform more shows would bring Hong Kong closer to such a position, apart from horse racing, dancing and indulging in stock-trading.”

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Choy suggested the calls for people to seek other ways to express their opinions – instead of staging protests – were not in line with the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, which stipulates that Hongkongers have freedom of assembly, procession and demonstration.

Political commentator Johnny Lau Yui-siu said he believed local activists would need to seek “non-confrontational ways” to express their views because the Hong Kong government was likely to continue to impose further restrictions on protests and processions following Xia’s call.

“This may not be the intention of Xia, but [officials and activists] were likely to interpret the message this way and take the strict path,” he said.

But Lau argued that the local government needed to build a more tolerant and inclusive social atmosphere to “move from stability to prosperity”.

Lawmaker Chan Yung, the deputy of the country’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress, insisted Xia’s comment would not impede protest rights in the city.

“Some organisations have successfully held rallies in accordance with the law,” Chan said. “It proves that everyone’s rights continue to be protected by law.”

Four pro-establishment political parties also agreed with Xia’s emphasis on safeguarding national security, with two saying Article 23 of the Basic Law, requiring the city to introduce its own national security legislation, should be enacted as soon as possible.