Top Chinese official Xia Baolong reassures firms investments will be protected, Hong Kong commerce group says
Hong Kong Free Press
Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong’s affairs has reassured businesses that investments and assets will be protected, the head of the city’s largest commerce group has said.
Betty Yuen, chairperson of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), addressed reporters after a meeting on Monday with Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), local media reported.
“[Xia]… said Hong Kong’s ‘One Country, Two System’ has been effective and that there was no need to change it,” Yuen said, referring to the governance system that accords the city a degree of autonomy from mainland China.
“Investment and assets in Hong Kong will be protected and [he] told us to rest assured to invest and to boost Hong Kong’s prosperity,” Yuen said. She added that Beijing would roll out more measures to support Hong Kong.
The business group head also said that Xia repeatedly mentioned Chinese leader Xi Jinping in his discussion.
The top Beijing official arrived in Hong Kong last Thursday for a week-long visit to understand Hong Kong’s economic development and district administration matters, according to a statement from the HKMAO. The city’s leader John Lee was seen alongside Xia throughout his time in the city.
The meeting with commerce representatives, which was also attended by the heads of the Austrian and Malaysian commerce chambers, was among a number of sessions Xia attended on Monday. In the morning, he met with representatives from the finance sector, and later had lunch with the city’s financial regulators.
The city’s leader Lee told reporters on Monday that topics such as attracting foreign investment to the Greater Bay Area and boosting tourism were discussed, HK01 reported.
Lee mentioned that some commerce representatives asked Xia questions about the impending national security law, which Hong Kong is obligated to pass under Article 23 of the Basic Law, according to HK01. Lee said the representatives generally supported the legislation.
Xia’s visit was met with a protest by pro-Beijing activist Chan Ching-sum on Monday morning, who urged the official for clarification on “soft resistance” and the “bottom line” of the national security law. Chan said Hongkongers were afraid to speak up due to a lack of certainty around what was legal.
The activist planned to deliver her petition outside Beijing’s Hong Kong Liaison Office in Sai Ying Pun. However, she said police “suggested” that she do so near the MTR station instead, about an eight-minute walk from the Liaison Office.
After a 10-minute demonstration, in which she read out a statement to Xia, Chan submitted two letters to a man who refused to reveal his identity.
A ‘tough time’
Beijing’s visiting official met with district officers, the heads of the city’s 18 District Councils and some district councillors last weekend to understand matters of local administration, according to a government statement last Saturday.
Xia also met Hong Kong’s hometown associations on Monday evening, groups representing people from different parts of China. Irons Sze, chairperson of pro-establishment group the Federation of Hong Kong Beijing Organisations, said on Monday that Xia had asked all the associations to unite together to support the government.
“[Xia] said that ‘Lee is having a tough time now,’ and the whole society is working hard. Hometown associations and people from all walks of life need to support [Lee], especially in terms of boosting the economy and improving people’s livelihood,” Sze said in Cantonese.
On Tuesday, Xia went to the West Kowloon Cultural District in the morning, where he visited the Hong Kong Palace Museum and exchanged views with around 30 young people, local media reported. He then met with finance experts in the afternoon.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.