Deputies from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) pledged on Friday to better leverage the SAR's strengths in technology, culture and education through innovation to support the country's modernization drive.
At the ongoing third session of the 14th NPC, China's national legislature, the Hong Kong delegation held a group meeting open to media to deliberate the government work report, which was unveiled on Wednesday at the NPC annual session.
The report stressed the importance of fully, faithfully and resolutely implementing the policy of "One Country, Two Systems", under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy.
The central government said it supports Hong Kong in growing its economy and improving the lives of its residents, ensuring that Hong Kong better integrate itself into China's overall development and maintain long-term prosperity and stability.
NPC deputies from Hong Kong said it shows the central government's care and support for Hong Kong while pointing the way forward for the region's development. They expressed readiness to make even greater contributions to national efforts in building China into a great country and achieving national rejuvenation.
Nancy Ip, president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, highlighted Hong Kong's potential in scientific and technological innovation.
"Artificial intelligence (AI) is among the main focuses at this year's 'two sessions'. The rapid rise of Chinese companies such as DeepSeek demonstrates the country's competitiveness in the AI field. Hong Kong recently launched its first large language model, marking a significant step forward in this sector," said Ip.
"The government work report specifically calls for sustained efforts to advance the AI Plus initiative. We hope Hong Kong can continue to play a key role in international sci-tech cooperation and contribute to the nation's sci-tech innovation," she added.
Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a member of the HKSAR Legislative Council, underscored Hong Kong's role in promoting Chinese culture globally, citing the box office success of the recently released animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2".
"Ne Zha 2 has recently shattered box office records, breaking away from the Hollywood-dominated storytelling model and successfully captivating global audiences with Chinese narratives and philosophy. I think Hong Kong can further embrace the concept of 'culture plus' to make greater contributions to the cultural industry," said Fok.
"Building on its role as an international bridge and its traditional advantages, Hong Kong can serve as a 'financial hub' and 'export hub' for the Chinese cultural industry, facilitating collective expansion of Chinese cultural products into global markets and allowing cultural programs and industries to complement each other, " he said.
Ken Wong Kam-leung, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, set his sights on educational reform and collaboration.
"In future, Hong Kong should improve its vocational education system to nurture more technical talents that meet the requirements of emerging industries, and promote collaboration between industries, universities, and research institutes to facilitate the application of sci-tech achievements. It should deepen research cooperation with mainland universities to create synergies and boost sci-tech innovation in the [Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao] Greater Bay Area city cluster," he said.
"The education sector in Hong Kong must stay motivated, leverage its unique strengths, and steadfastly advance high-quality education development, contributing to Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability as well as the nation's modernization drive," said the NPC deputy.
The annual "two sessions," a key political event shaping the country's policy direction, refer to the annual meetings of the NPC and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body. The NPC session is taking place from March 5 to March 11 this year, while the CPPCC National Committee session runs from March 4 to March 10.
NPC deputies from Hong Kong vow to contribute to nation's modernization
