HK role as tourism, legal services center stressed

CHINA DAILY

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(CHINA DAILY) HongKongshouldbepromotedasChina'stourismandlegalservicescenterinthecountry'sBeltandRoadInitiative,saidChinesePeople’sPoliticalConsultativeConference(CPPCC)NationalCommitteemembersfromtheBusinessandProfessionalsAllianceforHongKong(BPA).

FourCPPCCmembersfromtheBPAhighlightedtheBeltandRoadInitiativeinproposalstheywillpresentintheupcomingmeetingsoftheCPPCCandNationalPeople’sCongress,whichstartonThursday.

PeterLamKin-ngok,alsochairmanofHongKongTourismBoard,saidthatHongKongshouldserveasa“multi-functionaltourismhub”.Thisisbecausethecityenjoysageographicaladvantageandcanpositionitselfasaleadinghubforcruisetravel,businessexhibitionsandtrainingskilledpeople.

LamsaidfurthercooperationbetweenmainlandcitiesandHongKongshouldalsobesought.Thiscouldbemutuallybeneficialtoallpartiesinvolved,headded.

Lastyear,HongKongreporteda2.5percentdecreaseinthenumberofvisitors.Inrecentyears,severalcountrieshaverelaxedvisarequirementsformainlandtourists-makingthissituationevenworse.

AnonlineapplicationfortravelpermitsformainlandtouriststoHongKongwasalsohighlightedintheproposal.Itisproposedthate-passportholdersshouldbeallowedtoapplyforthepermitonlineundertheIndividualVisitScheme.

Thenewarrangementcouldbeimplementedin49citiesunderIndividualVisitSchemefirstandthenexpandedtoalle-passportholders,saidCPPCCmemberAndrewLeungKwan-yuen.

Inregardtolegalservices,PeterLamalsobackedgreaterarbitrationcenterstatusforHongKong.Thiswasbecausethecityenjoyedarespectedlegalsystemandabundantlegalprofessionals,heexplained.HongKongisalsopoisedtobecomethebestplaceinChinaforsolvinglegaldisputesarisingfromtheBeltandRoadInitiative.

Meanwhile,theBPAreiteratedtheimportanceofenhancingthesenseofnationalidentityamongtheSAR’syouth.ThisisthethirdconsecutiveyeartheBPAraisedtheissueofnationaleducationinHongKongintheirtwosessionsproposals.

LamsaidthatitwasworryingthatyoungpeopleinHongKonglackedknowledgeabouttheBasicLawand“OneCountry,TwoSystem”principle.

Localismdemonstratedintheillegal"Occupy"movementandtheriotinMongKokwasadangeroussignwhichthreatenednationalunity,Lamwarned.BoththecentralgovernmentandHongKongauthoritiesneededtoworktogethertoresolvethisissue.

Thefourmembersalsoexplainedproposalsforoptimizingthemainland'sLaborContractLaw.Thisisastrategicplantoelevatethe“madeinChina”productioninthePearlRiverDeltaandstrengtheningthefinancialroleofHongKonginrenminbiinternationalization.

ThetwosessionsmeetingsoftheNPCandCPPCC,asChina’slargestannualpoliticalandlegislativeevents,willstartonMarch3.