The Honourable Mark Coure, Minister for Seniors and Multiculturalism of New South Wales,

Mr. Christopher Hui, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong SAR,

Ms. Trista Lim, Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Sydney,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Good evening! I am delighted to attend the special dinner tonight. My thanks go to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Sydney for the kind invitation.

Over the past 25 years of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” has achieved success in Hong Kong recognised by all. As Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out in his important speech at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the policy of “One Country, Two Systems” is a great initiative that has no precedent to follow, and its underlying goal is to uphold China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, and maintain the long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau. Twenty-five years of practice tells us that to have a profound and accurate understanding of the rules governing the implementation of “One Country, Two Systems”, we must ensure the integration of the overall jurisdiction of the Central Authorities and a high degree of autonomy in the SAR, and implement the principle of patriots administering Hong Kong. Over the past two years and more, the Hong Kong national security law has been formulated and enforced, and the electoral system has been amended and improved, ensuring the implementation of the principle of patriots administering Hong Kong. It has served to fully ensure the democratic rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents.

Now, Hong Kong is in a new stage of moving from chaos to governance and then from governance to greater prosperity. The next five years will be crucial for Hong Kong to break new ground and launch a new take-off. Hong Kong faces both opportunities and challenges, and there are more opportunities than challenges. We hope friends from all sectors will continue to support the development of Hong Kong, promote exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong and Australia across the board. We firmly believe that the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong will achieve greater success, and Hong Kong will enjoy a better tomorrow. Thank you!