The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today held the second seminar on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. About 500 people attended.

President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Hou Jianguo, and Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial & Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the CPC Office of the Central Leading Group for Rural Affairs Zhu Weidong, as publicity delegation members, visited Hong Kong to speak on the spirit of the plenary session.

Mr Hou and Mr Zhu gave in-depth explanations of the spirit of the plenary session as well as the key contents and significance of the “Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic & Social Development” (the Recommendations). They also responded to questions raised by participants.

Chief Executive John Lee, who gave a speech at the event, said: “The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee deliberated and adopted the Recommendations, making top-level designs and strategic plans for our country’s development over the next five years, and putting forward the major objectives and key tasks for economic and social development. It has also made important plans to support Hong Kong’s development, painting a brighter future for Hong Kong.

“The 15th Five-Year period further clarifies Hong Kong’s strategic position and supports Hong Kong in consolidating and enhancing its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, as well as in building an international innovation and technology centre. This has genuine and far-reaching significance for Hong Kong to fully leverage its unique advantages and important role of having strong support from the motherland and close connection with the world, to promote Hong Kong’s economic and social development, and to better integrate into and serve overall national development.”

Mr Lee expressed hope that the participants and members of the public would study in depth the spirit of the plenary session, and integrate this spirit into their daily lives.

In doing so, they will open up a bright future of long-term prosperity and stability for Hong Kong, and make relentless efforts to promote high-quality development of both the country and Hong Kong as well as the building of a great modern socialist country through Chinese modernisation, he elaborated.

Deputy Director of the CPC Central Committee Hong Kong & Macao Work Office, Deputy Director of the State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office and Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Zhou Ji also delivered a speech at the seminar.

Mr Zhou said that since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping and the central government, China’s economic and social development has achieved groundbreaking progress, breakthrough transformations and historic accomplishments. Hong Kong has also addressed the shortcomings in its legal system for safeguarding national security, fully implemented the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” and entered the best period for focusing on economic growth, pursuing development, advancing projects and improving people’s livelihood.

He believed that through this seminar, everyone would gain a deeper understanding of the spirit of the fourth plenary session and implement it more effectively. The seminar would also encourage people to cast their votes in the upcoming Legislative Council General Election, thereby enhancing the Hong Kong SAR Government’s governance effectiveness through high-quality democracy and better fulfilling the mission of implementing “one country, two systems” during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

At the seminar, Mr Zhu said that the fourth plenary session has drawn a blueprint for China’s development in the next five years and constitutes another full mobilisation and deployment for advancing Chinese modernisation.

Noting that the conditions for and underlying trend of China’s long-term growth remain unchanged, he said the strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China’s enormous market, its complete industrial system, and its abundant human resources, are all coming to the fore.

It is necessary to comprehend the guiding principles and major objectives for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year period, and fully understand the connotations and clear directions proposed by the plenary session on “working for long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau”, Mr Zhu stressed.

He also hoped that Hong Kong society would seize the opportunities of Chinese modernisation, proactively align with national strategies, forge new growth drivers and competitive advantages for the economy, better perform Hong Kong’s role as a bridge and window connecting the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world, and better integrate into and serve the overall national development.

Mr Hou meanwhile, focused on introducing the strategic tasks and major measures during the 15th Five-Year period that would play a significant role in advancing Chinese modernisation.

Combining the tasks and measures with Hong Kong’s situation, he particularly outlined the Recommendations’ content in relation to achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology; promoting high-standard opening up; and promoting coordinated regional development.

He said that upholding open co-operation and mutual benefit are inherent requirements of Chinese modernisation. The Recommendations focus on promoting international economic flows, advancing reform and development through greater openness, and making plans for promoting high-standard opening up.

By better leveraging its role as a bridge, and fully strengthening its function as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”, Hong Kong will certainly become a major channel and hub for attracting external resources, as well as a key platform for Mainland enterprises to go global, thereby playing a greater role in assisting the China’s high-level opening up, he pointed out.

Mr Hou added that the strategic plans and major measures set out in the Recommendations on promoting the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong will surely guide and advance the implementation of “one country, two systems”, enabling Hong Kong to make greater contributions in building China into a modern socialist country, and realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.