Hong Kong must build on global ‘superconnector’ role, act as ‘pivot point’ for mainland Chinese companies going abroad, senior Beijing official says
- Hong Kong’s rule of law and common law system among several advantages it has to attract foreign investment, says liaison office director Zheng Yanxiong
- City should ‘maintain its characteristics of the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures’, he adds
Beijing’s top official in Hong Kong has urged the city to seize the advantages it has to play a crucial role in attracting foreign investment and also enhance itself as a “pivot point” for mainland Chinese enterprises going abroad.
This “superconnector” role between the mainland and the world was one of four advantages the city had, elevating its position in the country’s overall development, said Zheng Yanxiong, director of the central government’s liaison office in Hong Kong, on Monday.
He also underscored the city’s unique attributes of its rule of law environment that were critical for business, its growing role as an international financial centre and its thriving cultural diversity.
Arguing cultural tolerance was “most conducive” to attracting global talent, investors and consumers, Zheng said Hong Kong should “maintain its characteristics of the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures”.
“Keep horse racing, dancing, investing in stocks, speaking foreign languages and having foreign names, to take the road of internationalisation,” he told a 500-strong audience on Monday at a forum on the new opportunities offered to Hong Kong under the “Chinese-style modernisation” – a new guiding maxim set out by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Hong Kong should make good use of its status as a cultural exchange platform to tell good stories about China to the world and enhance the influence of Chinese culture, he added.