HONG KONG: Top legislator Wu Bangguo said yesterday that the central government would continue to firmly support Hong Kong's development.

It remains the "firm commitment" of the central government to maintain prosperity and stability in the special administrative region (SAR), said the chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

Wu, who arrived here on Saturday, made the remarks yesterday evening at the opening of the five-day International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World 2006 expo, which starts today. It is the first time that an ITU expo is being held outside Geneva, where the inter-government telecom organization is based.

Wu noted in the speech that Hong Kong's achievements since its return to the motherland in 1997 testify to the vitality of the "One Country, Two Systems" policy. He reiterated the central government's consistent support for the policies of "One Country, Two Systems," "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy.

Wu met Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, local NPC deputies and government officials on Saturday afternoon. He also visited the Vocational Training Council Youth College in So Uk Estate the same day. Established in 2004, the college offers full-time courses in vocational studies and programmes. He presented 1,000 books and CDs to the college.

In the housing estate, he visited the family of dim-sum chef Wu Kin-wing and his spouse who have been living there since 1998, and presented a computer and a Fujian tea-set to the family.

While meeting Hong Kong-based NPC deputies and local legislators, government officials and judicial officers, Wu expressed his "satisfaction" towards their role in promoting Hong Kong's prosperity.

At the welcome banquet on Saturday night, Wu said the central government is confident about Hong Kong's future. The SAR registered gross domestic product growth of 8.6 per cent in 2004 and 7.3 per cent last year. The International Monetary Fund has forecast a rate of between 5.5 per cent and 6 per cent this year.

(China Daily 12/04/2006 page1)