Xia Baolong plans to visit HK in June: sources

Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Xia Baolong is planning to visit Hong Kong this month and is expected to participate in a forum marking the fifth anniversary of the implementation of the National Security Law, sources said.

The itinerary details for Xia are still being hammered out.

Xia first visited the city in April 2023, after the office received an upgrade in status, and again in February of last year when he visited the Community Living Room in Sham Shui Po and met with politicians and businessmen.

Xia also conducted inspections at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in Hetao, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, and Yantian Port in February.

Speaking to Sing Tao Headline, the sister publication of The Standard, Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies consultant Lau Siu-kai believed that Xia's visit would be focused on understanding the city's development, particularly regarding the economy and citizens' livelihoods.

With the city's financial cooperation with the mainland, the Northern Metropolis, and the development of the Greater Bay Area, Lau noted that it is natural for officials to provide guidance.

During Xia's most recent visit to Macau, he shared "four wishes" with the entrepreneurs and business community in Macau and Hong Kong, emphasizing the need for the two regions to work together to safeguard one another, adapt to changes, leverage their strengths to explore new markets and share their success stories.