By Tu Haiming

At an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies in Beijing last week, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called on the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, political parties and civic groups, district councils, business community, and residents — particularly young people — to take “concrete action” and work together to build a better Hong Kong. This underlines the fact that Hong Kong’s governance will be in a perfect state and the city’s bright future will be ensured only when all these stakeholders work together as one. 

The chief executive and the HKSAR government bear the primary responsibility for Hong Kong’s governance. Since its inauguration, the sixth-term HKSAR administration headed by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has adhered to a “results-oriented” governance philosophy. A slew of policies has been adopted to boost economic development, including those for attracting businesses and talent, developing the Northern Metropolis, and aligning Hong Kong’s innovation and technology sector with Shenzhen’s high-end manufacturing industries. 

Moreover, in a bid to expand the city’s international market, Lee led two delegations of business leaders to visit the Middle East and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which have successfully brought in capital from Saudi Arabia and convinced ASEAN to support Hong Kong in becoming a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Measures have also been taken to improve people’s livelihoods, including the establishment of a special task force charged with tackling the housing and land shortage. The government has managed to find sufficient land resources to meet the demand for public housing in the next decade. By combining competent and proactive governance with an efficient market, Lee and his administration have proved to be not only the “chief guardians” of the economy but also the “pathfinder” for the city’s high-quality development.

As a key part of the HKSAR governance establishment, the Legislative Council has worked with the executive branch and supported the lawful exercise of its executive power, which in turn has enhanced the quality of LegCo’s legislative work. 

Hong Kong’s Judiciary also plays a crucial role in the city’s governance. In the face of slanderous attacks and threats of sanctions by foreign forces, the Judiciary has remained committed to its role as the guardian of the rule of law, upheld justice and safeguarded the city’s internationally renowned rule of law. 

The foundation of good governance will be further consolidated when the executive, the legislature and the Judiciary discharge their duties faithfully and dutifully as part of the HKSAR’s governance establishment. 

Hong Kong is famed for a well-developed network of political groups and civic associations, which serve as an important platform for all sectors of the community to participate in the governance of the HKSAR. However, during the period of political upheaval a few years ago, when toxic politics prevailed, some of those political groups and civic associations went astray, challenging the “one country, two systems” principle by promoting separatism, while others were obsessed with political grandstanding or narrow partisan interests, and paid no heed to serving the public. These mutated entities not only exacerbated social disharmony and disunity but also became stumbling blocks to good governance. They must be cleared away or else Hong Kong’s governance will be undermined.

With district councils (DCs) having gone astray over past few years, many district-level issues have been put on the back burner. For this reason, the HKSAR government had to set up community care teams to make up the deficiency in district-level administration. The revamped DCs have resumed their intended role as district-level consultative bodies. The 470 newly elected, or appointed, district councilors have fulfilled the basic requirements for patriots, who are committed to assisting the government to better serve the community. The anticipated improvement in district-level administration will contribute to the achievement of overall good governance in Hong Kong.

Much of Hong Kong’s past glory was forged by the business community. The city is now at a crossroads in terms of socioeconomic development. While US and European capital is getting cold feet about investing in Hong Kong because of geopolitical concerns, the city’s post-pandemic recovery has also been hampered by lackluster domestic consumption. As new technologies continue to emerge, Hong Kong may still retain its edge in some areas of scientific research, but it is rather weak in commercializing its research results and forging industry chains. While addressing these challenges requires extraordinary efforts from the business sector, tackling existing social problems such as the land and housing shortage and obstacles to youth employment and entrepreneurship also needs the business community’s strong support.

Every Hong Kong resident is a contributor to and a stakeholder in the city’s good governance. During the “black-clad” riots in 2019-20, patriotic groups from all quarters of society stepped up to protect the city from the saboteurs. If everyone can pull together to uphold the rule of law and social order, Hong Kong will tide over any future storm.

Hong Kong’s young people living in an international metropolis are generally more privileged than many of their mainland counterparts in terms of living standards and education levels. However, many of them are deprived of a sense of national identity and a correct understanding of their home country because of the lack of national education since the 1997 reunification.

Young people are a dynamic force in socioeconomic development. That is why the central government attaches great importance to youth development in Hong Kong, as Xia indicated in his speech. Only when young people stay on the correct path and do the right thing can Hong Kong have a bright future.

When all of these stakeholders work together for a common goal, Hong Kong will be able to pool tremendous synergy for promoting prosperity and development in the city.

The author is vice-chairman of the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Hong Kong New Era Development Thinktank. The views do not necessarily reflect those of Bauhinia Magazine.