Leaders: People-centered CPC key to Hong Kong development

Leading dignitaries from Hong Kong and abroad told an international forum on Wednesday that Hong Kong's future is inseparable from the support of the Communist Party of China, which always prioritizes people's well-being.

During the full-day forum to celebrate the centenary of the Party, which will fall on July 1, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the city has benefited enormously from the CPC's national leadership, which has provided a safe haven for Hong Kong in times of turmoil and given it a shot in the arm when needed.

Taking note of the central authorities' support during the Asian financial crisis in 1997, the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003, the recent COVID-19 pandemic, and various national strategies devised for Hong Kong, Lam said the Party, with its "people-first "principle, has always cared about Hong Kong.

She said that after the city faced unprecedented challenges brought by social unrest over the past two years, the central authorities tailor-made the National Security Law for Hong Kong and made a plan to improve its electoral system, helping it to restore order and peace.

Lam said the central authorities will go a long way to ensure Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, and she is hopeful that the city can contribute more to the Chinese dream by embracing patriotism and national pride.

Addressing the event, Tan Tieniu, deputy chief of the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong, said that over the past 100 years, Hong Kong has been closely intertwined with the CPC, noting its peaceful return to the motherland and the innovative "one country, two systems" principle that guarantees the city's lasting stability and vitality.

He said that with the nation's continuous care and support, Hong Kong's future is bound to be even brighter.

Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Liu Guangyuan said that with the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the improvement of the electoral system, the city has gone through a major transformation from chaos to stability and the implementation of "one country, two systems" has also entered a new stage.

The commissioner's office will draw wisdom and strength from the CPC's history and better serve Hong Kong's development, he added.

During the event, foreign experts and scholars also commended the CPC's role on the global stage.

Veteran political scholar Martin Jacques said the CPC is undoubtedly the most "formidable" and "successful" political party of modern times, citing the remarkable achievement of transforming a poverty-stricken country into the world's second-largest economy.

"In fact, the test the West has to address is that they don't understand the Communist Party of China," he said, calling on Western countries to learn more about how the CPC operates and take a leaf from its success.

Jim O'Neill, former chief economist at Goldman Sachs, said China's economic achievements under the leadership of the CPC have many lessons for all sorts of economies and societies around the world.

China has a great deal of experience to offer in regard to reducing poverty and promoting equality, two key issues that are expected to be highlighted in the post-pandemic world, he added.

The forum, held online and offline, was part of a series of activities to mark the CPC's 100th anniversary. Eighteen scholars and experts from eight countries and regions took part in person or via video links.

It was jointly organized by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Bauhinia Culture, a Hong Kong-based media group.