(Focus on China face to face) How Hong Kong sets off again Carrie Lam's authoritative response
China News Service, Hong Kong, October 19th, title: How to set off in Hong Kong again Carrie Lam’s authoritative response
China News Agency reporter Liu Chenyao
Recently, the 40th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was held.
Hong Kong and Shenzhen are separated by a river, and economic development is closely related. The rapid rise of Shenzhen over the past 40 years is closely related to Hong Kong.
What positive impact will Shenzhen’s "birthday gift" have on the development of Hong Kong?
How will Hong Kong seize the new opportunity of reform and opening up before starting?
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam, gave an authoritative response in an exclusive interview with China News Agency "Focus on China".
Excerpts from the interview are as follows:
China News Service: On October 14, you were invited to attend the 40th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. What impressed you most?
Carrie Lam: I was sitting on the stage listening to President Xi's speech. What impressed me most were two words, one is "persistence" and the other is "reform".
I believe that 40 years ago, not long after the country’s reform and opening up, there must be a lot of opposition to the establishment of a special zone in a small town on the border. Some people said whether it was a capitalist road. So I felt that leadership must have a share. adhere to.
After 40 years, everyone has seen Shenzhen's earth-shaking development, which also created a miracle of the world economy.
At this moment, we still have to persevere. For the right thing, we have to persevere on the right path.
As far as Hong Kong is concerned, this term has a profound impact on me. In the past year or so, many things have happened in Hong Kong. Therefore, we must adhere to the implementation of "One Country, Two Systems", and we must adhere to our role as a part of the People's Republic of China. , We must persist in maintaining national security, so I think persistence is very important.
Reform, in fact, as President Xi said, the road to reform has to go on.
Because without reform, now the global economy is integrated, it is easy to lose your competitiveness and your unique advantages. This is also true for Hong Kong.
Of course, Hong Kong has always been a relatively open and free economy. The reforms we face are different from those in the Mainland, but every system, every system, and every policy must be revisited constantly. With new developments, Is there a need for reform.
I now see that Hong Kong’s future economic development should be more integrated into the overall situation of the country’s development and grasp the reformable opportunities brought to us by the country’s development.
Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, accepts an exclusive interview with China News Agency "China Focus Face to Face".
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Wei
China News Agency reporter: Shenzhen and Hong Kong are separated by a river. What do you think of the relationship between the two places? Under "One Country, Two Systems", what unshakable advantages do you think Hong Kong has? What role will this play in the future two-city relationship?
Carrie Lam: Shenzhen is adjacent to Hong Kong. In the past 40 years of Shenzhen's reform and opening up, Hong Kong has been a very active participant.
In the early days, Hong Kong companies followed the reform and opening up of Shenzhen, invested in and set up factories in Shenzhen. They had a certain degree of development in Shenzhen. They needed a platform to connect mainland companies with the international community and bring in capital. Hong Kong also made a move. The role of a good contact.
In the future, Shenzhen will follow the path of technological innovation. Hong Kong also hopes that the economy will be more diversified, and there will also be opportunities for technological innovation. Then close cooperation with Shenzhen will give us a great help, and the advantages of the two places can complement each other.
Hong Kong had developed to a certain extent 40 years ago, but it was limited in terms of land and human resources. At that time, Shenzhen provided us with a solution and put the manufacturing industry in Shenzhen. Therefore, Hong Kong could develop into a global international market in the past few decades. Financial center, commercial center, shipping center.
In terms of technological innovation, Hong Kong’s advantage is that it has very good institutions of higher learning and scientific research capabilities. However, since we have basically no manufacturing industry, the transformation and commercialization of scientific research depends on Shenzhen’s advanced technology. manufacturing.
But the most important complementarity between the two places is "one country, two systems."
We are in one country, supported by the central government, and the cooperation between the two places will be more dynamic. However, we have retained Hong Kong’s own system, which seems to be the legal system, scientific research capabilities, conformity with international standards, and freedom of funds guaranteed under the Basic Law. Flow, which can provide a good impetus for the further development of Shenzhen.
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency in the reception room of the Government House of Hong Kong.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Wei
China News Service: Some people say that President Xi’s speech this time is tantamount to opening a new era of reform and opening up. How do you think Hong Kong should seize the opportunity of reform and opening up before starting?
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor: The development of Hong Kong has always been inseparable from the development of the Mainland. It is not just Shenzhen. I go to every place, whether it is a first-tier city or some second-tier city, the local secretary and mayor Tell me that Hong Kong is the largest source of foreign investment here, and you can see that Hong Kong entrepreneurs are very flexible, see business opportunities, and go in as pioneers.
In the future development, the mainland now has a dual-cycle domestic and foreign economic layout. I hope that Hong Kong companies can integrate into the development pattern and participate in the domestic market; the cycle abroad is to make better use of Hong Kong’s links with the world. We Provide a platform for mainland enterprises, especially to develop in some countries and regions along the “Belt and Road”.
In general, I think the Mainland is now a major economy in the world that is still growing after the epidemic. Hong Kong has a good opportunity, so how to make good use of our unique advantages and how to better integrate into the overall development of the country , Is also the focus of my future work.
Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, recently accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service at the Government House in Hong Kong.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Wei
China News Agency reporter: You just mentioned the future work. You will go to Beijing to discuss some preferential port policies with some ministries and commissions later. Can you tell us a little bit about what you hope to get the support of the central government?
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor: Mainly in several areas, which we have done in the past few years, but we can strengthen and consolidate our strength and enhance our status.
One, of course, is finance. As an international financial center, Hong Kong is also the world’s largest offshore RMB center. In the past few years, we have benefited from the reform and opening up of the country’s financial sector and the financial interconnection between the two places, including Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect and Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect. Bond Connect. Earlier it was announced that all financial links in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area could be implemented, so I mentioned some more in the financial aspect.
The other is scientific and technological innovation. Over the past three years, the Hong Kong SAR government has invested a lot of resources in scientific and technological innovation. In this regard, it is close to 100 billion Hong Kong dollars. Now I hope that the central government will further support and cooperate with Hong Kong and Shenzhen to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University. This is the focus of an international science and technology innovation center in the Bay Area.
The third aspect is that Hong Kong's international airport is an aviation hub in the Asian region or in this region, but this epidemic has been hit hard.
We are expanding the airport at the same time, and the third runway project is still under construction. Therefore, I hope that there will be some policies to consolidate and enhance the status of Hong Kong International Airport as an aviation hub in the Greater Bay Area.
Of course, some are related to people's livelihood, regarding customs clearance after the epidemic, and the supply of vaccines developed and produced in the Mainland in the future. There are several aspects.
Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, recently accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service at the Government House in Hong Kong.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Wei
Reporter from China News Service: You just mentioned the people's livelihood. We heard that many associations and citizens have come to petition and put forward some of their demands, hoping to be reflected in the "policy address". Do you consider adopting some suggestions, such as education, as well as the medical aspects of anti-epidemic as you said.
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor: Every year before the "Policy Address" is published, many people come and have many demands. We listen carefully to see what can be incorporated in the "Policy Address", but I am afraid that it is not every requirement. Can be satisfied.
We are a relatively small government. Government expenditure only accounts for about one-fifth of the total GDP, so there are limitations.
But you just mentioned education. My personal philosophy on education is that education is too important. It is a problem of cultivating the next generation, especially since Hong Kong is a place where talents gather. Without people, we would not have economic growth. .
So since I took office in 2017, I have invested 13 billion Hong Kong dollars a year in education. We have invested resources in both higher education and basic education.
Of course, the government not only pays money for education, but also manages it, so that education as an important cause can follow a correct path.
In terms of citizens' requirements, in addition to education, social welfare and medical care are the most important.
In particular, the medical system in Hong Kong is basically a public medical system.
Therefore, every year, there is a lot of hope that the SAR government can do well in how to manage public medical services in Hong Kong and how to shorten the waiting time. I am willing to use more public resources to improve people’s lives within the scope of my ability. From 2017 to now, the government's recurrent expenditure has been increased by more than 30%, so it has increased by 10% almost every year. This is very powerful, especially when the economy in the past few years is not very good.
Data map: Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Zhihua
China News Agency reporter: The following question is about you personally. We know that Shenzhen and Hong Kong are very closely connected. Many infrastructure projects, including our Xiangyuanwei Port, were carried out when you were the director of the Development Bureau. So we would like to know, what was your idea of starting these projects? Now that these projects are in full swing, what kind of gift do you think you gave yourself?
Carrie Lam: I have been in office for 40 years this year, just like the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, so every time I see a project I have participated in can be successfully completed, it is a great satisfaction, especially since these jobs are beneficial to the people. .
I remember that when I was the Secretary for Development, one of my tasks was related to cross-border infrastructure, not only the Liantang (Heung Yuen Wai) port, but also the development of technological innovation in the Lok Ma Chau Loop and the management of the Shenzhen River.
Several projects have now been completed: the port has been opened; the Lok Ma Chau Loop has been established, and the land is now being leveled, and a committee has been established with Shenzhen to deal with it; the Shenzhen River is basically very good, and pollution is gone. .
So it feels very good to see that Shenzhen and Hong Kong work together to accomplish something.
And in the process of cooperation, I have also established a good relationship with Shenzhen officials and city leaders. This is also very rare.
I hope that in the future, especially when I am the Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region, the scope of the promotion will be far wider than that of a Secretary for Development. Therefore, I hope that in the future, it can be used in technological innovation, culture and art, and youth exchanges. Push Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation to a new level.
Reporter from China News Service: You just said that you have undertaken public office for 40 years. I have read your article reviewing your public career before. We think you have done a lot of work. You have contributed to the development of Hong Kong to this day. However, you also suffered a lot of grievances during the gangster incidents of last year. How would you comment on such encounters in your political career?
Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor: This is not my personal evaluation. I think we act in the heart of serving the public, especially when we become the chief executive. It is a dual-chief position. I am responsible to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Be responsible to the Central People's Government.
In the past few years, apart from using my previous experience to manage cities, I also have a more profound understanding that Hong Kong is an inseparable part of the People’s Republic of China, and we are all responsible for protecting the country.
So this year, in a very difficult environment, we can implement the National Security Law. I think it is very important to the future development of Hong Kong.
For me, I don’t think much about it. Foreign governments want to sanction our officials responsible for protecting national security. I think we need to explain why they are the ones who did this behavior, not us. My main officials and I are very good at this moment. It is really glorious to take on this very important historical task, and I hope that this can be done well.
Personal grievances, sometimes unhappy, I think it is definitely not important to me.
Data map: On October 1, the Hong Kong National Day version "A Symphony of Lights" was staged on both sides of Victoria Harbour.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Wei
China News Service: Many foreign forces are deliberately discrediting our government, including you and your colleagues. Even yesterday (October 15) the United States put forward the so-called "Hong Kong Autonomy Law". What are you like? Mindset to look at these?
Carrie Lam: Every country has national security, and every country has to formulate some laws to maintain national security, and every country should have its autonomy, so there are government officials or government officials in Western countries. Some members of the Congress have made some unreasonable criticisms of the country and Hong Kong based on the facts, and we must refute them.
If you want sanctions, we will not go to the United States.
If you want us to have some inconveniences in our daily personal lives, we can also bear them.
Anyway, the international community will soon see who makes sense and who does not make sense. We should not tolerate some hegemonism.
China News Agency reporter: You are the chief executive, and you are also a woman, a wife, and a mother. After experiencing the black riots of last year, including the various anti-epidemic measures formulated by the SAR government this year, there are some different voices in the market, so how does your family support you to move forward?
Carrie Lam: Basically, they support silently. They are very low-key. Although they may feel very upset in their hearts, they feel that their wives or mothers have done a lot of work and are still treated like this, but they are always very supportive. I don’t ask me either. Anyway, he said that we will definitely support 100% of what you do. We don’t need to ask what you do and what your considerations are, because I am not a member of the Legislative Council and I am not a media. I am your closest and most trusted family.
Reporter from China News Service: Thank you. I read that you will publish some of the work of the SAR government on epidemic prevention every month on the 25th. We also hope that more citizens will understand you more and support you like your family. Thank you.
(Finish)