The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan (WHETO) today (July 17) held the Reception for the 23rd Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Around 120 guests attended the reception, including representatives from various government departments and authorities, consulates and related institutions, chambers of commerce and corporations in Hubei and Wuhan and Hong Kong people living in Wuhan. The Director of the WHETO, Mr Vincent Fung, the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office in Hubei, Mr Chen Hanhua and the Director of the Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Foreign Affairs Office of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Ms Hu Liming and the Deputy Secretary of Wuhan Municipal Government, Ms Fang Jie jointly officiated at the reception.
     
     In his welcoming remarks, Mr Fung said that more than 4 000 Hong Kong residents had been stranded in various cities in Hubei Province under lockdown during the COVID-19 epidemic. Hong Kong-based staff members of the WHETO voluntarily stayed to offer various emergency services such as provision of medicine, face masks, supplies and an emergency hotline for the Hong Kong residents who were stranded in the province. The WHETO also assisted in the arrangement of eight chartered flights to carry more than 1 000 Hong Kong residents stranded in Hubei back to Hong Kong in March. Mr Fung expressed his gratitude to the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, the Hubei Provincial Government and the municipal governments in Hubei Province for their support for the WHETO's work and their assistance rendered to Hong Kong people stranded during the epidemic.
 
     Mr Fung remarked that since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has maintained its stability and prosperity under the framework of "one country, two systems". He said Hong Kong is an international metropolis leveraging the unique advantage of being backed by the motherland and open to the world, but noted that disturbances and violence in the past year have traumatised the Hong Kong community, jeopardised the nation's security and put the city's stability and prosperity at risk. He described the passage of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress as a historic step to improve the system for Hong Kong to safeguard the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and security. It sets out a clear direction to help "one country, two systems" get back on track and restore stability to Hong Kong society in a timely manner, he said.
 
     Mr Fung pointed out that 2020 is the sixth year of the establishment of the WHETO. In the year ahead, the WHETO will adhere to the Hong Kong people's can-do spirit in keeping up its services through strengthening exchanges and co-operation in various fields between Hong Kong and the provinces in the central region.

Ends/Friday, July 17, 2020
Issued at HKT 23:35

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