Mainland officials' visits appreciated

October 12, 2021

Chief Executive Carrie Lam：
I noticed that before and after October 1, the National Day celebration, senior officials from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region had gone out to visit a large number of Hong Kong people. I did not realise that the total number was almost 1,000. 

Of course we practise a high degree of autonomy, but being the overall jurisdiction authority, it is, of course, (in) their interest to have first-hand information about the Hong Kong situation. 

I appreciate and I am grateful for their extensive efforts made in the community so that Hong Kong people will not have that sort of alienation with Mainland officials (and) so that in (the) time to come, our people will have a greater sense of national identity - they feel close to Mainland officials - and that would be conducive to (the) effective operation of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong. 

I would be particularly interested in knowing the other views, which Deputy Director (of the LOCPG in the Hong Kong SAR) Lu Xinning said that they concern the Mainland. 

They said that where there are views and suggestions (concerning) the Mainland, then they will help to tackle those issues. That is to be very welcomed because there are things that are beyond the influence of the Hong Kong SAR, for example, in facilitating the resumption of normal travel as soon as possible, in allowing young people to go into the Mainland with some more facilitation, (and) in giving access to Hong Kong professional service providers to go into the Mainland, particularly Greater Bay Area cities.

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said she appreciates and is grateful for the extensive efforts the representatives of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong have made to reach out to the community.

At a media session ahead of the Executive Council meeting this morning, Mrs Lam said she noticed that before and after the October 1 National Day celebration, senior officials from the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region had visited and interacted with nearly 1,000 Hong Kong people.

She said: “Of course we practise a high degree of autonomy, but being the overall jurisdiction authority, it is, of course, (in) their interest to have first-hand information about the Hong Kong situation.

“I appreciate and I am grateful for their extensive efforts made in the community so that Hong Kong people will not have that sort of alienation with Mainland officials (and) so that in (the) time to come, our people will have a greater sense of national identity - they feel close to Mainland officials - and that would be conducive to (the) effective operation of 'one country, two systems' in Hong Kong.”

Mrs Lam added that she would be particularly interested in knowing the other views, which Deputy Director of the LOCPG in the Hong Kong SAR Lu Xinning said concerned the Mainland.

“They said that where there are views and suggestions (concerning) the Mainland, then they will help to tackle those issues.

“That is to be very welcomed because there are things that are beyond the influence of the Hong Kong SAR, for example, in facilitating the resumption of normal travel as soon as possible, in allowing young people to go into the Mainland with some more facilitation, (and) in giving access to Hong Kong professional service providers to go into the Mainland, particularly Greater Bay Area cities.”