Hong Kong delegates on Tuesday set off for Beijing to attend the Two Sessions meetings which start on Wednesday.

Members of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) will be joining the country's largest annual political gatherings in the capital this week.

Speaking at the airport, Starry Lee, Hong Kong's sole delegate to the National People's Congress Standing Committee, said this year’s Two Sessions are of special significance, as it marks the opening year of the nation's 15th Five-Year Plan.

"I also look forward to Hong Kong, under the leadership of the Chief Executive and the SAR government, formulating its first-ever five-year plan with joint efforts from all sectors of society. This will allow our development to align with, integrate into, and serve the overall national development, enabling Hong Kong to play a more significant role in this regard,” she said.

Lee, who is also the Legislative Council president, said she has prepared ten proposals for the Two Sessions, which include consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre, as well as promoting and normalising the issue of Renminbi (RMB) sovereign bonds in Hong Kong.

Fellow lawmaker and local NPC member Stanley Ng said Legco will also establish a working committee to actively align with the 15th Five-Year Plan.

The FTU president also outlined some of his proposals for the Two Sessions.

"Personally, I will focus on enhancing Hong Kong’s AI computing capabilities and ensuring a stable power supply for them. To this end, I propose importing electricity generated from environmentally friendly sources from the mainland, as a stable green energy supply is of strategic significance,” he said.

“Furthermore, I aim to facilitate smoother cross-border travel for personnel by further optimising the network coverage of the high-speed rail."

Another local NPC deputy and lawmaker Ronick Chan, for his part, suggested the People’s Bank of China and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority increase the size of the RMB business liquidity facility from the current 200 billion yuan to 250 billion yuan or even more.

He also pointed out that this year’s Two Sessions will last one or two days longer to review several important draft laws, including the draft environmental code, the draft law on promoting ethnic unity and progress, and the draft law on national development planning.

Local CPPCC deputy and chairman of the Liberal Party, Peter Shiu, called for the establishment of a platform in Hong Kong to bridge the mainland’s domestic product standards with international requirements.

By aligning “national standards” to the global market through Hong Kong, mainland products can be easily and smoothly brought to all parts of the world with fewer hurdles, he said.


Edited by Aaron Tam