By Wu Kunling in Hong Kong

Xia Baolong -- the nation’s top official overseeing Hong Kong and Macao affairs – was impressed by the pilot community living room program in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, calling it a “good attempt” to address the pressing needs of those living in subdivided flats, and suggested that the program be extended to other districts as well, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Sunday.

On the fourth day of his weeklong inspection tour of the special administrative region, Xia -- director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council -- toured Sham Shui Po District on Sunday morning to learn about the operations of the community living room program – an experimental project aimed at providing residents living in subdivided units with additional living space, including shared kitchens, dining rooms and study spaces for children.

Accompanied by Sun, Xia spent about 20 minutes in a community living room, viewing its dining hall, shared kitchen and other facilities, and praising its laundry and drying services

Accompanied by Sun, Xia spent about 20 minutes in a community living room, viewing its dining hall, shared kitchen and other facilities, and praising its laundry and drying services. Xia also talked with children who were studying in the living room and asked them if they could answer the questions about Chinese geography and English in their homework. He also encouraged a seven-year-old boy to study hard and visit Tiananmen Square in Beijing when he grows up.

According to Sun, Xia described the community living room as a “positive initiative” in addressing the urgent demand for more space by people living in subdivided units, and suggested that the pilot program could be extended to other districts.

Sun said he told Xia the program has received an excellent response from residents in Sham Shui Po, which has one of the highest concentrations of subdivided flats in Hong Kong. Three more community living rooms are due to open in Sham Shui Po and Kowloon City in the next six months, and more community living rooms will be built this year, Sun said.

Xia later met with representatives of the Law Society of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Bar Association at the Central Government Complex in Admiralty.

HKBA Chairman Victor Dawes said he told Xia that Hong Kong residents may have different views on various legal issues, showing that the city is a pluralistic society with freedom of speech. But, he expressed confidence that a balance could be struck between safeguarding national security and protecting residents' rights under the Basic Law. Chan Chak-ming, president of the LSHK, said a wide range of issues were discussed at the meeting with Xia, including the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law. He said Xia attached importance to the opinions of legal professionals, and supported Hong Kong in continuing to maintain its international advantages.

Xia’s also expected to reach out to more community sectors in the next few days to gather their views on the city’s development.

He will conclude his inspection tour on Wednesday.

Source: China Daily