The director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Xia Baolong, starts a five-day inspection tour of Hong Kong today. His visit follows last month’s tour of Macao and Hengqin.
On Thursday, Xia is expected to meet with university heads and senior educators to discuss Hong Kong’s role in China’s technological independence along with ways to retain global talents, the South China Morning Post reports.
The chief executive of Hong Kong, John Lee, said that a national security forum marking the fifth anniversary of the promulgation of Hong Kong’s national security law will be Xia’s main priority while in the city.
[See more: Xia Baolong appeals to Macao businesses to persevere amid economic headwinds]
Scheduled for Saturday, the full-day forum is organised by the Department of Justice. Xia is “committed to both security and development and will be examining both aspects during his visit,” Lee said.
A source told the Post that Xia also planned to inspect how Hong Kong has diversified its tourism offerings since his last visit, when he encouraged the city to launch more tourism itineraries and products. “Part of Xia’s itinerary is to visit outlying islands, as they were highlighted in the recent policy address as ‘rich resources’ in Hong Kong that should be utilised in developing the city into a premier tourism destination,” the source said.
The Northern Metropolis development, which involves the creation of a business and economic community on 30,000 hectares near Hong Kong’s northern limits, will also be on Xia’s itinerary.
