The central government's policies on Hong Kong and Macao will remain unchanged beyond all doubt, a senior official said on Friday in response to concerns over the omission of some routine terms from the Government Work Report.Delivering the report at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress on Monday, Premier Li Keqiang said the central government would continue to uphold the one country, two systems principle.However, he did not use the routine terms Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong, Macao people governing Macao or high degree of autonomy when speaking about the two special administrative regions.On Friday, Zhang Xiaoming, director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, said the central government would continue to implement the one country, two systems principle, as upholding it was listed as one of the fundamental policies formulated at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October for developing socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era.Being listed as part of basic policy means upholding the principle is a long-term task, Zhang said, adding that he hopes people will not misinterpret the situation.The principle already includes the connotation that Hong Kong people govern Hong Kong, Macao people govern Macao and both regions have a high degree of autonomy, he said.Work related to the two SARs is conducted with the emphasis on fully and faithfully understanding and implementing the one country, two systems principle, he said.The principle has achieved great success and won wide recognition at home and abroad, Zhang said.Why would the central government change the policy, given that it has been a success and widely supported by people in Hong Kong, Macao and the Chinese mainland? he asked.Zhang said he sees promising prospects in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a national-level issue that is receiving key attention from the central government.He quoted President Xi Jinping, who spoke at a meeting of the Guangdong provincial delegation to the NPC on Friday: Development of the bay area must be well handled.Zhang said he is confident about the bay area project and expects the area to become a world-class innovation and technology hub.He Lifeng, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, called the bay area project a millennium plan when speaking with journalists on Friday, and said it should be more efficient, orderly and effective in the next stage.It is necessary to plan well, especially in terms of industrial development, transportation and ecological environment, he said.Carrie Qiu contributed to this story. woven braceletscheap custom wristbandswristbands onlinewide rubber bandswristband keychainwristband creation
WANG WENJIN/CHINA NEWS SERVICE More than 80 people with the surname Zhang traveled from Taiwan to Xiamen, Fujian, in August to discover their roots. People are studying their family trees and age-old stories in the hope of reconnecting with long-lost relatives. Zhang Yi reports from Xiamen, Fujian. On June 9, Huang Ching-hsiung woke at about 3 am in his hotel bed in Xiamen, Fujian province. He was too excited to sleep. At daybreak, he was one of a group of 11 members of his family that set out to visit Pujin, a village two hours from downtown Xiamen by road. The settlement has the same name as Huang's home village in Lugang town, Changhua, Taiwan, and most of the residents are named Huang. The Huangs on Taiwan are direct descendents of settlers who arrived on the island centuries ago. Several batches of Fujian residents moved to Taiwan during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in the hope of making their fortunes, and those who were members of the same family banded together as they fought to make new lives. They named the places they settled after their hometowns and retained the customs they had brought from the mainland. Roughly 80 percent of Taiwan residents share blood ties with people from Fujian. About 110 settlements on either side of the Taiwan Straits that share the same village and family names have established official exchange programs, according to the Fujian-Taiwan Compatriots' Association. In the 1980s, the descendants of those early settlers started visiting the mainland to discover their roots, inspired by family histories passed down through generations. Place your feet on the land our ancestors came from, Huang's father told him, shortly before he died 12 years ago.
