Xi Jinping’s letter to Hong Kong entrepreneurs ‘is wider call to support China’s development’
- Analysts say Xi’s message to Hong Kong’s Ningbo bang is signal for residents and overseas Chinese to support nation to boost investor confidence
A rare letter from President Xi Jinping to Hong Kong entrepreneurs with roots in Ningbo also serves as a wider call for city residents and overseas Chinese to help shore up investor confidence in the nation and a signal that the country’s open-door policy is still going strong, analysts have said.
The message from Xi urged Hong Kong entrepreneurs with familial ties to the mainland port city of Ningbo to make greater contributions to the nation’s modernisation.
It was also a response to another letter from Hong Kong business leaders who traced their roots back to entrepreneurs from the port city, including Anna Pao Pui-hing, daughter of late shipping tycoon Pao Yue-kong, and Ronald Chao Kee-young, eldest son of the late industrialist Chao Kuang-piu.
Xi expressed his gratitude to the business leaders for their ongoing support of their hometown and motherland through acts such as the building of businesses and schools.
He also acknowledged the group’s active engagement in innovation, entrepreneurship, philanthropy and education.
Xi sent the letter at a time when Hong Kong’s business community is contending with an economy still struggling to shake off the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.