The new director of the Chinese central government's liaison office in Hong Kong said on Wednesday that ending violence and chaos remains the most pressing task for Hong Kong, appealing to the whole community to cherish Hong Kong and uphold the "one country, two systems" principle.
"Given the current situation in Hong Kong, I want to say that ending violence and chaos and restoring social order still remain the most pressing task for Hong Kong," said Luo Huining, the new director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
"I also want to say that treasuring Hong Kong, our home, is a shared view, expectation and responsibility of all who truly care for and cherish Hong Kong," he added.
Luo made the remarks at the annual Spring Festival reception held in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center by the liaison office and attended by around 4,000 guests including representatives of the central government and the HKSAR government, foreign diplomatic missions and various sectors of the Hong Kong society.
Pointing out that Hong Kong has not completely come out from its predicament of prolonged social unrest, which has brought Hong Kong's economy into a recession and severely affected the residents' lives, Luo called on the whole community to cherish their home by making best use of "one country, two systems," upholding the core values of the rule of law and civilized society, and realizing the aspiration of prosperity and development.
"Despite our differences in political views, all should agree that recognizing the 'one country' and cherishing the 'two systems' will be key to securing Hong Kong people's livelihood as well as the region's future," he said.
"Overstepping the bottom line of the rule of law as well as the civilized society will only lead to disastrous damage to the society," he said, urging people who love the country and Hong Kong to work in unity, Hong Kong's 180,000 civil servants to fulfill their responsibilities, and all sectors of the society to make joint efforts to firmly uphold the core values of the rule of law and resolutely support the HKSAR government in its effective administration in accordance with the law.
Stressing that "nobody has better wishes for Hong Kong than the motherland," Luo said the central government's important decisions on the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and encouraging Hong Kong to take part in the Belt and Road Initiative are aimed at helping Hong Kong break development bottlenecks, consolidate and expand Hong Kong's own advantages in a bid to provide Hong Kong people, especially the youth, with opportunities for development and room for growth.
He also expressed hope that the Hong Kong youth foster the sense of national identity, love for Hong Kong and international perspective, and gain control of their own future by taking part in the development of the country and advancing the development of Hong Kong.
The new director, who arrived in Hong Kong to take office some 10 days ago, pledged that in the new year the liaison office will fulfill its duty with sincerity and affection, and work with all Hong Kong compatriots to build a brighter future of Hong Kong.
"With the support of the motherland and the vision of facing the world, Hong Hong will surely create new miracles if it can walk out of the political chaos and make breakthroughs in development as early as possible," Luo said.
