President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the swearing-in ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, July 1, 2022. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

The speech that President Xi Jinping made at the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the country has aroused a groundswell of resonance in the city, as a survey found residents saying the speech has boosted their confidence in the “one country, two systems” principle.

In his speech on July 1, President Xi Jinping affirmed the universal success of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong, and called upon the city to uphold and further the principle’s course

In his speech on July 1, Xi affirmed the universal success of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong, and called upon the city to uphold and further the principle’s course.

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According to the survey, conducted by Youth Vision HK from July 18 to 24, of the 1,952 respondents, about 80 percent agreed that Xi’s visit to Hong Kong reflects the central government’s support and care for Hong Kong.

Also, 77.46 percent of respondents said Xi’s speech enhanced their confidence in the firm implementation of “one country, two systems”, with 75.31 percent of the respondents saying the speech strengthened their understanding of the principle.

In addition, nearly 80 percent of interviewees agreed with Xi’s “four expectations” of Hong Kong, including valiantly demonstrating new governance capability and concretely resolving problems relating to people’s livelihoods.

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Youth Vision HK Chairman Kazaf Tam Chun-kwok said the results of the survey reflect a shared vision of the vast majority that Xi’s attendance at the celebration of the reunification fully reflects the central government’s support for Hong Kong.

Victor Chan Chi-ho, convenor of Youth Vision HK, said Xi’s speech shows the central government’s full understanding of Hong Kong affairs, and that Xi has many expectations for the city’s future development.

On Monday, the special administrative region government held two learning sessions to study Xi’s speech.

In a seminar held by the Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Chan shared his insights with over 100 colleagues from his office, saying that the speech is a “calming pill” to all Hong Kong residents and overseas investors, which clears the doubts about the long-term future of “one country, two systems”.

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Noting that the SAR government will give priority to improving people ’s livelihoods, Chan called on all attendees to live up to the president’s expectations and increase residents’ faith in the government by improving governance capabilities and effectiveness.

In another similar session, Tse Chin-wan, secretary for the Environment and Ecology Bureau, said Xi’s speech shows the methods for the SAR government to achieve good governance, and that the bureau will strive to realize the president’s expectations.

Tse said that the newly established bureau will serve as a good example to demonstrate the government’s efforts in increasing efficiency, as the bureau integrates the management of urban health, urban life and natural environment in a bid to accelerate policy formulation.