June 30 marked the first anniversary of the enforcement of the National Security Law for Hong Kong, and I am convinced that, with “patriots governing Hong Kong” and all the other measures that Beijing has taken to perfect the SAR’s governance, the implementation of “one country, two systems” is expected to be smoother and is about to make Hong Kong a better place.
Hong Kong’s property market hit the highest record over the weekend, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange market is the second-largest in the world. The absolute majority of Hong Kong people have a lot of confidence in their city, and my expectation is that the stock market will likely be No 1 in the years to come — this is another vote of confidence for the city of resilience.
Having lived in Hong Kong for decades through the reunification in 1997, the “Occupy Central” movement in 2014 and the social unrest in 2019, I understand both sides of the world and have heard about a plethora of naysayers’ nihilistic rhetoric, but one thing I can be convinced of is that Hong Kong will get stronger and stronger for being part of China. History repeats — each time a number of the naysayers pronounced the “death of Hong Kong”, the people staying in the city would make the city stronger without fail.
My experience in Beijing during the centennial celebration of the Communist Party of China on July 1 made the trip one of the most memorable: It allowed me to see what China had accomplished. President Xi Jinping’s speech delivered at the centenary ceremony boosted my confidence in China’s future, as well as that of the youth in Beijing. I see clearer than ever the benefit of the practice of “one country, two systems” with Chinese characteristics in Hong Kong: It makes Hong Kong a stronger economy by being part of China as a special administrative region. And I increasingly believe that the center of gravity of the world economy will shift to the East, or China to be specific, with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area being a promising land. If I were in my 20s or 30s, an age that would allow me to start all over again, I would choose to live on the Chinese mainland; I would be in the Greater Bay Area because it is where great fortunes will be made.
I really believe that Hong Kong, with its repositioning in the national development strategy, can tell the China story to the world by just continuing to do what we are doing and excelling in what we do best
China is building its soft power now, and its self-confidence will grow accordingly. Hong Kong, being part of China, is gaining strength as the city is finding the right place for itself within the economic structure of the nation. I really believe that Hong Kong, with its repositioning in the national development strategy, can tell the China story to the world by just continuing to do what we are doing and excelling in what we do best. This is the real meaning of the 1997 handover; this is the true reunification that Hong Kong will achieve with the motherland.
The author is the chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group. A resident of Hong Kong for over 50 years, the author has been very involved in HKSAR government services, and has been a holder of Chinese nationality since 2008.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.