Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs tells district councillors to act as bridge between people and authorities
- Calling district councils an ‘important pillar’ of the city’s governance, Xia Baolong also says they have ‘ordinary yet great’ responsibilities and missions
- Top Beijing official on fact-finding mission since Thursday, with priorities including district governance and economic development
Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), was briefed on Saturday morning on the city’s “patriots-only” municipal-level administration as he met 32 district councillors and community leaders in Sai Kung.
The top official is leading a team on a fact-finding mission to the city that started on Thursday and will wrap up on Wednesday.
Calling the district councils an “important pillar” of the city’s governance, Xia also said they had “ordinary yet great” responsibilities and missions.
He praised the work of the new councillors and defended a revamp of the municipal bodies which had drastically slashed the number of directly elected seats.
“I hope everyone will keep in mind their oath, take actual actions to demonstrate their love for Hong Kong and the country, and play their role as a bridge between the city government and the people,” Xia said, according to a statement by his office.
He also urged the councillors to fully support the local administration, and to safeguard the “one country, two systems” governing principle and the city’s stability, prosperity and development.
