In a symposium recently held in Shenzhen, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, urged Hong Kong business leaders to embrace reform and have faith in the city’s and the country’s future.

He also urged them to demonstrate their love for the country and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with “concrete action” — by supporting the SAR government to promote high-quality economic development in the city.

According to Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, Xia specifically called for the business sector to throw its weight behind the government’s long-term development projects, including the Northern Metropolis (NM) and the Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands.

The memory of repeated failures of the government’s land tenders over the past year has lingered at the back of our minds. Earlier this month, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu reminded local business leaders that they were not merely bystanders, but also participants in, contributors to, and beneficiaries of the city’s development. We hope Xia’s timely reminder will jolt our business leaders from their comfort zones and support the NM and Kau Yi Chau projects.

The NM will gradually come to maturity. First of all, we look at the public goods provided by the government. The new transportation network will be built on a scale arguably unprecedented in the history of the HKSAR. The Central Rail Link will connect Kam Tin in Yuen Long and Kowloon Tong via Kwai Chung. It will link the NM and the Harbour Metropolis while supporting the sustainable development of the NM. It is worth noting that the Northern Metropolis Highway will also be built to enhance connectivity. The first batch of land at San Tin Technopole will be put to the market, and the New Huanggang Port building with co-location arrangements for immigration and customs clearance will be completed in the next five years. The government will seek funding for the first-stage of San Tin Technopole’s infrastructure and begin construction works this year.

Property developers have a big role to play in supporting the NM project. To expedite its development, the government will adopt, on a pilot program basis, a large-scale land-disposal approach, under which sizable land parcels with commercial value and earmarked for provision of community facilities will be selected and granted to successful bidders for collective development. This approach can speed up development of the land parcels, enabling a more coordinated design for the area. The authority plans to sell the first sizable site next year in a bid to encourage the private sector to expedite development.

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce has a chance to tell the true Hong Kong story when its delegation visits the United States next year. Other Hong Kong business leaders should also follow the example of Sir Pao Yue-kong in promoting the interests of the city. As Xia suggested, Hong Kong business leaders should leverage their global connections to counter external forces’ slanderous attacks on the city

Turning to Kau Yi Chau, the government will take forward the artificial island project in a steady and prudent manner. It will commence the statutory environmental impact assessment process for the reclamation works under the project by the end of 2024. Since the artificial island project is a huge development plan, it will span 20 years from the end of 2025. The government has considered introducing a public-private-participation model to allow private participation in reclamation and infrastructure works. The build-operate-transfer and railway-plus-property development models will also be considered.

Xia also called on business leaders to tell the true Hong Kong story to overseas audiences. Many years ago, Sir Pao Yue-kong acted as an unofficial ambassador during the periods of stalemate in Sino-British negotiations over the future of Hong Kong.

He met then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher several times, and went to great lengths to persuade her to change her mind. He even met then-US president Ronald Reagan and asked him to put in a good word to Thatcher (Anna Pao Sohmen, YK Pao: My Father; HKU Press, 2013). Though unofficial, Pao’s role in mediating Sino-British disputes was a sincere attempt by a patriot to lead Hong Kong out of the wilderness of despondency and bring a bright future to the city by facilitating Hong Kong’s peaceful and smooth return to China.

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce has a chance to tell the true Hong Kong story when its delegation visits the United States next year. Other Hong Kong business leaders should also follow the example of Sir Pao Yue-kong in promoting the interests of the city. As Xia suggested, Hong Kong business leaders should leverage their global connections to counter external forces’ slanderous attacks on the city.

Xia also urged local tycoons to embrace reform and lead the reinvention of the city. For example, he suggested that the city’s tourism sector should diversify by promoting wellness tourism, cultural tourism and cruise tourism, which was well received by the sector.

But of greater significance to Hong Kong is Xia’s reaffirmation of the central government’s unwavering support for the SAR’s future development and its role in advancing the nation’s modernization.

Tommy Suen Chun Kit is a community services officer of BPA Eastern District, and director of youth development affairs of the Chinese Dream Think Tank.

Kacee Ting Wong is a barrister, part-time researcher of Shenzhen University Hong Kong and the Macao Basic Law Research Center, chairman of Chinese Dream Think Tank, and a Hong Kong district councilor.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.