Beijing's point man on Macau affairs calls on city to ‘stand firm' amid trade war
Beijing's point man on Hong Kong and Macau affairs has called on the casino hub to 'stand firm' amid the
Sino-US trade war and explore new markets, according to politicians who met with him during his visit to the city.
Advertisement
Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), on Sunday also emphasised the importance of developing Hengqing to help diversify the city's economy, echoing instructions delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his own visit last year.
In the morning, Xia entered a dim sum restaurant in Macau's central district accompanied by Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai, a former top judge elected to lead the city in October.
The pair were joined at the breakfast meeting by nearly a dozen local members of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
According to attendees, Xia discussed the trade war and the country's economic situation.
Advertisement
'[Xia] has full confidence in our economic recovery and this year's GDP growth and said we have to stand firm in the trade war,' NPC deputy Kevin Ho King-lun cited the official as saying.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
How to answer Xia's call for Hong Kong? Tap global ties and lure talent, experts say
Hong Kong should maintain its international connectivity and attract talent to speed up its economic transformation, analysts and figures from the commerce sector have said, as they hailed the enactment of the national security law for improving the business environment. Some political analysts also called on government officials to take bolder steps and adopt new thinking, taking advantage of the social stability and order brought by the security law Beijing imposed on the city in 2020. Their suggestions came after the director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Xia Baolong, said the implementation of the law was a 'watershed' for the financial hub that brought order after chaos. But Xia, who made the remarks at a forum on Saturday marking the anniversary of the implementation of the national security law, also warned against complacency, calling for unity to support the government and urging the administration to come up with innovative governance concepts to enhance effectiveness. Political scientist Hung Wing-lok of the School of Governance and Policy Science at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said: 'Hong Kong should seize the opportunity to attract more foreign talent to speed up its economic transformation. 'As tensions between China and the United States remain high, Hong Kong should continue to keep its international connectivity to maintain its status as a global financial hub.
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Focus on how to improve Hong Kong, fencing star Vivian Kong tells youngsters
Focus on what you can do to improve Hong Kong and mainland China instead of their shortcomings, Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong Man-wai has told the city's youngsters. The fencing star also urged young Hongkongers on Saturday to understand their identity, as she shared her experience of studying international relations at Stanford University in the US during a forum commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law. 'My biggest takeaway is that Americans do not understand China, but even worse, I realise I do not understand it either. I need to learn more,' the 31-year-old told a panel. 'As I represent Hong Kong, China, I should understand my identity and not disgrace anyone.' She said the city had the support of its motherland, citing her experience of being treated by a therapist from the national team when the Hong Kong team lacked resources. Kong added that the city's athletes enjoyed privileges when training on the mainland, such as being treated to the best quality meals usually reserved for top-tier national sportspeople. She also said Hong Kong athletes could bypass qualifiers to secure their spots in the National Games.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong unions call for labour import scheme review amid rising job losses
Hong Kong catering and construction unions have called for a review of the labour import scheme amid high jobless rates in these sectors, with some local workers complaining about being replaced or forced to work fewer days after cheaper staff from outside the city were recruited. Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, said on Saturday that the unemployment rate of the construction sector reached a high level of 6.7 per cent, attributing this to the reduced number of local private projects. He said although the policy of importing workers might not directly affect the unemployment rate, the scheme still led to fewer job opportunities for local staff. Chau added he received complaints from some workers about being sacked by their employers or having their working days slashed because of the recruitment of imported staff. He called on the government to be more targeted in importing labour for specific occupations in short supply. '[Jobless rates] have kept rising. Do we still need to import workers? I think it should be more targeted. The workers should only be imported where there is such a need,' he told a radio programme.
