​The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, met the new Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LOCPG) and National Security Adviser to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Zheng Yanxiong, at Government House today (January 17).
      
     Extending a warm welcome to Mr Zheng on his assumption of the new posts during the meeting, Mr Lee said that Mr Zheng had worked in Guangdong Province for a long time and had been serving as the first Head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for more than two and a half years since July 2020, and that Mr Zheng has always attached great importance to the development of Hong Kong's society and is very familiar with the situation in Hong Kong.
      
     Mr Lee said he has every confidence that he and Mr Zheng will work together in implementing fully, faithfully and resolutely the principles of "one country, two systems" and "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" with a high degree of autonomy, maintaining the constitutional order of the HKSAR as stipulated in the Constitution and the Basic Law, and implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", as well as actively integrating into the country's overall development and strengthening the city's role as a first-class international metropolis.
      
     During the meeting, Mr Lee said the Hong Kong society has embarked on the path towards normalcy and is back on the international stage. With the strong support of the Central Government, normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland is resuming in a progressive, orderly and comprehensive manner, and frequent exchanges of people, businesses and tourism will resume. The HKSAR Government, while uniting different sectors of the community to focus on development, will also be dedicated to addressing concerns and difficulties of members of the public in their daily lives so as to enhance their sense of well-being and maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability.
      
     Mr Lee said he believed that under the leadership of Mr Zheng, the LOCPG will continue to support the HKSAR Government's governance in accordance with the law. The HKSAR Government will spare no efforts in leading the Hong Kong society to seize the historic opportunities offered by the national strategies such as the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) development and the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and will actively carry out international exchanges and co-operations. Mr Zheng's familiarity with the situation of the Guangdong Province will definitely help Hong Kong make greater achievements in proactively integrating into the overall development of the country and participating in the development of the GBA as Hong Kong steps onto a higher level.

Ends/Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Issued at HKT 16:03

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