Over 100 people attended the opening ceremony of a photo exhibition that kicked off on Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.[Special coverage]
The exhibition displayed dozens of photos featuring historical moments as well as social and economic life of Hong Kong, since China resumed exercise of sovereignty over the territory on July 1, 1997.
Shirley Yung, Principal Representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)'s Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo, said at the ceremony that the anniversary is an important milestone for Hong Kong's development.
Hong Kong will continue to bring into full play the advantage of "one country, two systems" principle to make greater achievements and to serve as a "super-connector" between Chinese mainland and the world, she said.
Masahiko Komura, Chairman of the Japan-Hong Kong Parliamentarian League (JHKPL), said that he had witnessed with his own eyes the stable development and prosperity of Hong Kong under China's "one country, two systems" principle when he visited Hong Kong in 2015.
Hong Kong's stability and prosperity will benefit both its motherland as well as the whole region including Japan, he said.
Kyoko Maseki, an official from Japan Association for Promotion of International Trade, said that Hong Kong has made a lot of achievements in the past 20 years and the connection between Chinese mainland and Hong Kong is becoming stronger.
She said that Hong Kong is one of the most important markets for Japanese farm goods and she hopes that Japanese enterprises could enhance cooperation with enterprises from Hong Kong and become more involved in China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.
The photo exhibition will run through Friday.
