Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Visits Hong Kong to Inspect the Northern Metropolis Development

(Central News Agency reporter Zhang Qian, Hong Kong, 16th) Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, began a two-day inspection and research visit to Hong Kong today. The Hong Kong government previously stated that this visit aims to examine Hong Kong's alignment with China's '15th Five-Year Plan' and the construction of the Northern Metropolis.

According to local media reports, Xia Baolong's first day in Hong Kong was dedicated to inspecting the development of the Northern Metropolis. In the morning, he visited the Hung Shui Kiu New Development Area in the New Territories, University Town, and the Yuen Long Microelectronics Center. In the afternoon, he inspected the under-construction Kwu Tung MTR station and later proceeded to the Hong Kong Science Park in the Hetao area for further inspection.

Neither the Hong Kong nor the Beijing authorities have disclosed Xia Baolong's detailed itinerary or accompanying personnel. However, footage from local television broadcasts shows that Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has been accompanying Xia throughout the inspection.

In recent months, Xia Baolong has made multiple inspection trips to the Greater Bay Area. From June 1 to 4, he visited the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone and Zhuhai City, focusing on innovation technology research institutes and laboratories.

When Xia visited the Greater Bay Area in April, several senior Hong Kong government officials unusually accompanied him on the mainland tour. Hong Kong online media '01' analyzed in its report today that this reflects Beijing's effort to 'personally guide' Hong Kong officials to witness China's development trends firsthand, hoping that Hong Kong's policy planning can achieve 'precise alignment'.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong government is formulating its first comprehensive five-year plan covering economic and social development, aiming to align with China's '15th Five-Year Plan'.

Yesterday, the Hong Kong government released a public consultation document for its five-year plan from 2026 to 2030. The document consists of six main sections: development of the Northern Metropolis; economy, finance, and trade; innovation, technology, and industrial development; livelihood and society; regional cooperation; and cultural, sports, and tourism development.

The Northern Metropolis refers to large-scale development in Hong Kong's New Territories North, with key projects including the Hetao Innovation and Technology Park, San Tin Tech City, University Town, data zones, and logistics hubs. It is currently Hong Kong's most significant development project. (Editor: Chen Kaiyu) 1150616

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