Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu hailed China’s historic transformation over the past 77 years during National Day celebrations on Thursday, October 1, as Hong Kong payload specialist Lai Ka-ying delivered festive greetings from the Tiangong space station.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government kicked off celebrations for the 77th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China with a flag-raising ceremony at Golden Bauhinia Square at 8am. Dignitaries and members of uniformed groups attended the ceremony, which was closed to the public, before moving inside the exhibition centre for a reception.
Addressing the reception, Lee said the Chinese nation has achieved a historic transformation – from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong over the past 77 years. He noted that the government formulated Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan to fully and swiftly seize the immense opportunities brought by national development, based on an overall review of the city’s prevailing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to make strategic deployments.
Meanwhile, Lai sent her greetings via a video message recorded aboard the national space station, expressing immense excitement and pride in celebrating National Day in space.
Reviewing the extraordinary journey of national aerospace development, Lai said every achievement reflects the perseverance of the Chinese nation and a great spirit that overcomes difficulties step by step.
She added that her personal participation in the manned space program made her feel the rapid flight of national strength, noting that every precision instrument operated and every experiment conducted in the space station embodies the pride of Chinese manufacturing and innovation.
Lai also expressed gratitude for the central government’s full support for Hong Kong and Macao, emphasizing that national backing remains the greatest support and foundation for the two special administrative regions.
