On April 11, Premier Li Keqiang met with Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor in Beijing and delivered the 678th State Council decree that appoints her as the fifth-term chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Premier Li offered congratulations to Lam, saying that the central government will fully support her work and the new HKSAR administration and back Hong Kong to develop its economy, improve people’s lives and strengthen communication and cooperation with the mainland.

This year, the central government will put forward development plans for regions including cities in Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao, and implement the policy that enables foreign capital to buy mainland bonds in Hong Kong, in a bid to further enhance communication and cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and inject new driving forces to Hong Kong, he said.

The central government will always support measures that are beneficial to Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability, and its interconnectivity with the mainland and help to strengthen and promote Hong Kong’s role as a financial, trade and shipping center, according to the Premier.

“I hope that Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor will lead the government and Hong Kong society forward in solidarity while upholding ‘one country, two systems’,” said Premier Li.

He also urged the government to further strengthen its competitiveness through a long-term development plan.

“And more efforts should be devoted to improve Hong Kong people’s lives and bring them more benefits while attaching great importance to the global economic environment, in an effort to provide a stable platform for Hong Kong’s development,” said Premier Li.

Lam said she is grateful to the central government for the appointment and trust, and she made the pledge to begin a new chapter in the journey along with people in Hong Kong.