HK should be governed by patriots to buttress long-term stability and prosperity
Get vaccinated, adopt multi-pronged approach to combat epidemic and maintain vigilance
28 February 2021
Last Monday (February 22), I was invited to an online forum held by the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, where Mr Xia Baolong, Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, spoke of “patriots administering Hong Kong”. This important speech of Director Xia has a significant bearing on improving the political structure and electoral system of Hong Kong.
The comprehensive implementation of “patriots administering Hong Kong” is fundamental to ensuring the faithful application and robustness of “One Country, Two Systems”, a prerequisite for safeguarding the constitutional order and maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of the HKSAR.
“Patriots administering Hong Kong” as a matter of course
The HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China. It is a local administrative region which comes directly under the Central People’s Government while maintaining a high degree of autonomy. Under this constitutional order and political structure, it is a natural and essential requirement that Hong Kong must be governed by patriots who are firmly committed to safeguarding the sovereignty, security and development interests of the nation, as well as the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. The requirement for those vested with governing power to be patriotic is universal and by no means unique to the HKSAR. The principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” is no new concept but a minimum requirement that has been in place all along.
Improving the systems to resolve problems at root
The political structure of the HKSAR, of which the electoral system is an essential component, is the prerogative of the Central Authorities. The HKSAR is not supposed to develop its own political system as it has gone beyond the scope of its autonomy. To uphold the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”, the most crucial and urgent task is to improve the relevant systems, particularly the electoral system, so as to ensure that the governance of Hong Kong is in the hands of patriots. The HKSAR Government unequivocally respects that the Central Authorities take the lead in improving the political structure.
Hong Kong has faced multiple headwinds over the years. There was opposition to legislating Article 23 of the Basic Law, objection to national education, illegal occupation in Central, the Mong Kok riot and a string of radical violent incidents arising from the opposition to the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in 2019 which have not only challenged the country’s authority and the bottom line of “One Country, Two Systems”, but also seriously undermined the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. The very principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” which Director Xia clearly restated is indeed resolving the problems at root.
Hong Kong has come to a critical juncture of relaunch. As long as we stay true to the original aspiration in implementing “One Country, Two Systems”, act in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law, and steadfastly safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, Hong Kong will definitely progress more steadily on the right track towards a fuller and better implementation of “One Country, Two Systems”.
A pragmatic and well-balanced Budget
The 2021-22 Budget delivered last Wednesday was drawn up in a time of severe social and economic difficulties amid the epidemic. Pragmatic and forward-looking, the Budget has introduced short-term relief measures, while striking a balance between protecting people’s livelihood and maintaining healthy and sustainable public finances to lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of Hong Kong. I look forward to the early passage of the Appropriation Bill at the Legislative Council so that people can benefit from it as soon as possible.
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Vaccination begins as vaccines arrive in batches
Effective infection control and early universal vaccination are keys to reviving the economy and getting life back to normal. As the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme (Vaccination Programme) rolled out, the Chief Executive and I, together with a number of principal officials, took the lead to receive our first dose of the Sinovac vaccine last Monday (February 22) with a view to building public confidence in the vaccine.
People belonging to the five priority groups could make appointments to receive the Sinovac vaccine starting last week. The response has been enthusiastic. About 70 000 people reserved their first and second doses online, and the quotas for the first two weeks were fully taken. The Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) set up for this purpose have been operating smoothly. Thanks to the public’s support and co-operation, more than 13 600 people have received the first dose of the vaccine since February 22, including around 7 000 people who had their first jab yesterday (February 27).
The online booking system will reopen to the public starting from 9 am tomorrow (March 1). There will be a total of eight CVCs administering the Sinovac vaccine, namely the existing five CVCs and another three to be set up in Tseung Kwan O, Tuen Mun and Kwai Tsing. These coupled with the 18 general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority (HA) will offer a total of 200 000 vaccination quotas. The three new CVCs will commence operation on March 6.
Members of the public may seek help from 120 post offices or 180 management offices of public housing estates to make online bookings for vaccination. Starting from the middle of this week, private doctors participating in the Vaccination Programme will also administer the Sinovac vaccine for the priority groups. The list of participating private clinics will be uploaded to the thematic website of the Vaccination Programme tomorrow. Members of the public may make an appointment for vaccination direct with any of those clinics without having to go through the Government online booking system.
As for the German-made Comirnaty vaccine, the first batch of 585 000 doses arrived in Hong Kong yesterday (February 27) and online bookings will open as soon as possible. Initially, the vaccine will be administered at seven CVCs operated by the HA.
The recent cluster in eateries and the persistence of cases from unknown sources have pointed to the volatility and even a rising trend of infection rates. In face of this worrying situation, members of the public should stay vigilant, maintain personal hygiene and refrain from group gatherings, while the Government should continue its anti-epidemic efforts and step up the relevant measures whenever necessary. To this end, the Centre for Health Protection has tightened the quarantine and testing arrangements starting from yesterday. Under the new arrangements, persons who have close contact with confirmed cases from unknown sources within seven days before the onset of symptoms are required to undergo quarantine; family members who live with close contacts of confirmed cases have to undergo three-day quarantine should the close contacts develop symptoms; and the threshold for compulsory testing for workplaces has been lowered from two confirmed cases to one confirmed case. With such measures, we hope to trace cases from unknown sources in a more targeted manner and swiftly cut the transmission chains. We will continue to adopt a multi-pronged approach and do our best to contain the epidemic as soon as possible.
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Boundless opportunities in the Greater Bay Area
It has been two years since the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). With staunch support from the Central and Guangdong Provincial Governments, an array of facilitative measures have been rolled out for Hong Kong residents to pursue development, start businesses, work and live in the nine GBA Mainland cities. These measures, such as tax concessions, support for young entrepreneurs, and open recruitment of Hong Kong residents by public institutions in the GBA, are providing young people with further and greater room for development.
Two days ago (February 26), I attended the “Greater Bay Area - Starting Line to a Bright Future” ceremony held by the HKSAR Government and witnessed the presentation of certificates to 30 non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Subsidised by the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Entrepreneurship Scheme) and the Funding Scheme for Experiential Programmes at Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Experiential Scheme) under the Youth Development Fund, these NGOs are recognised for supporting youth entrepreneurship in the GBA Mainland cities. Representatives from a number of enterprises and a chamber of commerce, which have been very supportive of the HKSAR Government’s Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme (Employment Scheme), were also present at the ceremony, sharing their ideas of how to support Hong Kong young people participating in the Employment Scheme to work and live in the GBA. I am deeply grateful to these organisations and employers for their active participation which is vital for helping more Hong Kong young people seize the opportunities arising from the development of the GBA.
Launched and funded by the Government, the Employment Scheme aims to encourage enterprises with businesses in both Hong Kong and the GBA Mainland cities to employ and deploy local university graduates to work in the GBA Mainland cities. Altogether 2 000 places including some innovation and technology posts are offered under the scheme. With overwhelming support from enterprises, the Employment Scheme has already secured over 1 400 job vacancies. Information on most of these vacancies can be found on the dedicated website of the Employment Scheme. Application is open to Hong Kong residents who have obtained a bachelor’s degree or above from 2019 to 2021. We note that a considerable number of graduates have submitted applications to their target enterprises and the recruitment exercise is in full swing. With the launch of the Vaccination Programme, the epidemic situation is expected to stabilise gradually, and the Employment Scheme can then be taken forward at a faster pace.
On Hong Kong youth entrepreneurship in the GBA, about $130 million will be granted under the Entrepreneurship Scheme for 16 NGOs to organise youth entrepreneurship projects in the GBA, providing capital subsidy to about 230 youth start-ups (involving more than 800 young people) and rendering entrepreneurial support and incubation services to more than 4 000 young people, while some $5 million will be granted under the Experiential Scheme for 15 NGOs to organise short-term experiential projects at innovation and entrepreneurial bases in the GBA, benefitting about 700 young people in the first batch. In this connection, the Youth Development Commission has launched the thematic website “We Venture”. Interested young people may browse the website for details and apply directly to the funded organisations.
Being the most open and economically vibrant region in the country, the GBA is an enormous market with a population exceeding 72 million and a gross domestic product amounting to US$1.7 trillion. I encourage our young people to look beyond and go beyond Hong Kong. By learning more about the development of the country including the GBA, and capitalising on the new opportunities arising from the GBA to pursue long-term personal and career development, they will ride the wave and give full play to their talents on a greater stage.
