Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, January 14th: In 2023, Hong Kong will accelerate its progress amid hopes and challenges
Xinhua News Agency reporters Su Wanming and Huang Qiantian
At the beginning of 2023, Hong Kong is showing great vitality and a good start for the renewal of Vientiane: multiple blueprints for the new SAR government have been launched one after another, and a number of international activities are in full swing. The response to "grabbing talents" and "grabbing enterprises" is enthusiastic, and crowds in shopping malls and streets move……
People from all walks of life in Hong Kong are showing a new attitude, taking words and deeds amid hopes and challenges, and writing a new picture of the practice of "one country, two systems" with a positive, proactive and confident attitude.
New year new life
From January 8, people from the mainland and Hong Kong began to resume normal exchanges in an orderly manner.
At ports such as Man Kam To, red lanterns were hung up, and "mascots" raised signs to welcome passers-by, creating a joyous and festive atmosphere.
This is the first step for the Shenzhen Port to return to normal in stages and orderly after a lapse of nearly three years.
In the past few days, in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui, the streets are full of traffic, and the shopping malls and restaurants are full of people, creating a lively and prosperous scene.
The doors of some hotels and shops near Happy Valley have been opened again, ready to welcome visitors from all over the world.
Web3 Innovators Summit, Hong Kong Jockey Club Special Marathon, Hong Kong Toys Fair, Asian Financial Forum, Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone Promotion Conference... Recently, many activities have been held, reflecting the accelerated return to normal in various industries in Hong Kong momentum.
In the past, revenue from the convention and exhibition industry accounted for 2% to 2.5% of Hong Kong's GDP, making a relatively large contribution to the economy.
The recent Hong Kong Toy Fair, Baby Products Fair and Stationery Fair have resumed normal physical exhibitions.
This is the first large-scale physical exhibition after Hong Kong and the mainland began to resume normal customs clearance, attracting more than 1,000 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions, including more than 250 mainland merchants.
"The HKTDC plans to hold more than 30 large-scale exhibitions this year, and I believe that the exhibition industry in Hong Kong will become more active." said Zhang Shufen, vice president of the HKTDC.
"This year is off to a good start." Lee Ka-chao, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that Hong Kong's short-term prospects are challenging, but its long-term prospects are bright because of its role as an international financial center backed by the motherland and connecting the mainland with the world.
As the government optimizes the anti-epidemic measures, Hong Kong's economic activities will resume quickly, and all walks of life are optimistic about this.
The SAR government will also fully implement the various measures proposed in the executive report to achieve a new leap forward for Hong Kong.
Governance blueprint to solve the problem
In the past year, factors such as the global epidemic and changes in the international situation have affected Hong Kong's economy, and Hong Kong is also facing new challenges in resolving internal economic and people's livelihood conflicts.
The Hong Kong SAR government is trying every means to solve the problem.
In 2022, the geopolitical situation and its disruption to supply chains, high inflation rates, interest rate hikes and monetary tightening by central banks in many places will cause large fluctuations in the global economy.
Hong Kong's economy has also been affected.
The SAR government estimates that in 2022, the economy will experience a negative growth rate of 3.2%, and the fiscal deficit will exceed HK$100 billion.
Facing old and new contradictions, the SAR government tried every means to resolve them.
— looking outward.
In the past few days, Sun Yuhan, Director of the Labor and Welfare Bureau of the Special Administrative Region Government, Peter Poh, Director of Invest Promotion, and Qiu Yinghua, Director of the Bureau of Commerce and Economic Development, and other officials have traveled to the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and other places to attract investment.
"Grabbing talents" and "grabbing enterprises" are important policy policies of the new SAR government. The talent service window and the office of introducing key enterprises were established at the end of last year.
"We are going all out and have full confidence in attracting talents," said Chen Guoji, Chief Secretary for Administration of the SAR Government.
The goal of the Bureau of Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Special Administrative Region Government is to attract at least 100 representative companies with great technological value-added potential to settle in Hong Kong in the next five years, including at least 20 leading enterprises.
"Now we have negotiated details with dozens of companies, many of which are leading companies." Sun Dong, director of the Bureau, said.
— look inward.
Since December last year, Hong Kong has successively issued a number of governance blueprints such as the "Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint", "Hong Kong Insurance Industry Development Strategy Blueprint", "Grassroots Medical and Health Blueprint", and "Youth Development Blueprint". These policies are currently being implemented rapidly.
At the same time, the SAR government is fully promoting land supply projects such as land reclamation in the northern metropolitan area and central waters; the "Transitional Housing Program" of the tripartite cooperation between the civil, commercial and government has also found land that can provide more than 17,000 transitional housing units. It is estimated that by the end of 2023 All before completion and operation.
"The performance of the SAR government at the beginning of the year is remarkable. With the resumption of normal personnel exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland, Hong Kong actively integrates into the overall development of the country, invests in the construction of the northern metropolitan area, and grasps the business opportunities brought by joining RCEP, which will open up more new opportunities for future development. opportunities.” said Liang Haiming, a Hong Kong economist and director of the Silk Road Wisdom Valley Research Institute.
Ben Guzhirong has a promising future
Looking forward to 2023, more and more people in the industry in Hong Kong have a clearer understanding that the greatest opportunity and greatest support for Hong Kong's development lies in the mainland.
Hong Kong will fully integrate with national planning and strengthen the "super contact" function, which will inject strong new momentum into the economy.
Cai Guanshen, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said that the Central Economic Work Conference has made deployments for the economy in the new year, especially emphasizing the expansion of domestic demand, which provides huge opportunities for Hong Kong to further integrate into the overall development of the country and expand the mainland market.
At the just-concluded Asian Financial Forum, participating overseas institutions and people expressed their confidence in Hong Kong's future.
Zhao Baiji, Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers Asia Pacific and China, said that China will always play a very important role on the world stage.
Hong Kong's continued success depends on the support of the motherland.
Recently, the Department of Justice of the Special Administrative Region Government announced the establishment of the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Task Force" to deepen the mutual benefit and cooperation in the Greater Bay Area; while the Youth Internship Program and the Youth Entrepreneurship Program are about to return to normal, the Home Affairs and Youth Affairs Bureau of the Special Administrative Region Government recently It also plans to establish a Youth Entrepreneurship Alliance to help Hong Kong youth start businesses in the Mainland...
The Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Chen Maobo, recently stated that with the government's substantial relaxation of epidemic prevention and quarantine measures and the orderly return of customs clearance between the Mainland and Hong Kong, Hong Kong's business environment has been fully opened up, and now it is time to accelerate the acceptance of market opportunities and strengthen Hong Kong's competitiveness. prime time.
"In 2023, Hong Kong's popularity and wealth will be even stronger," he said.