Around 30,000 people took to the streets in Hong Kong on Friday
to celebrate the eighth anniversary of its reunification with the
mainland.??
Looking to the future, recently appointed Chief Executive (CE)
Donald Tsang promised an efficient and accountable decision-making
and implementation process for the special administrative
region.
Speaking at the official anniversary reception at the Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Center, Tsang proposed a toast to the
country's success and Hong Kong's continued stability and
prosperity. Hong Kong people's feelings toward the country have
undergone a "striking change" over the past eight years, Tsang told
the 1,200 guests.
"It's the distillation of the invaluable experiences gathered
over eight momentous years. Never has the bond of flesh and blood,
the interdependency between Hong Kong and the mainland been so real
to us," he said.
Speaking about his meeting last week with President
Hu Jintao
in Beijing, where Premier
Wen
Jiabao administered him the oath of office, Tsang said the
president had encouraged him to "upgrade governance" for the
well-being of the people. "This is exactly what Hong Kong people
ask for, and the path the HKSAR government has embarked on," he
said, stressing that Hong Kong was on the threshold of a new start.
Tsang promised that his administration would ensure accountable
and expedient decision-making. He also vowed to make policy
implementation efficient.
In a three-hour parade from Happy Valley's Hong Kong Stadium to
the Southern Playground in Wan Chai, thousands of colorfully
dressed people, holding the national and HKSAR flags and chanting
slogans for the region's harmony and prosperity, marched down the
streets. En route they drew thousands of onlookers, many of whom
joined the revelry.
Celebrations began at 8 AM in the Golden Bauhinia Square, with
the national and HKSAR flags hoisted to the playing of the national
anthem at a solemn ceremony, witnessed by nearly 1,000 guests. Four
helicopters flew in formation over the venue and a fireboat sprayed
water cannons as it passed by.
Tsang told the elite gathering that the community had reached a
consensus that Hong Kong must continue to build on the support of
the mainland and the edge it enjoys as a global business hub if it
is to sustain economic growth.
"We all share the belief that by harnessing this advantage, and
only by doing so, can we truly open the way forward for Hong Kong,"
he said.
Democratic Alliance for Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong
(DAB) legislator Chan Kam-lam said: "I agree with his (Tsang's)
saying that Hong Kong people are indeed patriotic and have
experienced the support shown by the central government for the
past eight years."
(China Daily July 2, 2005)
