Xi gifts HK a road map for prosperity

During his three-day inspection tour to Hong Kong to celebrate the special administrative region's 20th anniversary, President Xi Jinping not only brought good weather but also many memorable sound bites and powerful messages.

Xi spoke to select groups of mainland officials and troops and Hong Kong residents on six occasions. On each occasion, he made specific demands targeted at his audience. As Zhang Xiaoming, head of the Liaison Office, pointed out in his keynote speech at the inauguration ceremony of the fifth-term Hong Kong SAR government on July 1, Xi laid out four imperatives in implementing the "one country, two systems" principle - Hong Kong must grasp accurately the relationship between "one country" and "two systems", act in accordance with the nation's Constitution and the SAR Basic Law, focus on development, and uphold a harmonious and stable environment.

Xi's pronouncements on "one country, two systems" are naturally of central importance to our understanding of the nation's vision of this unprecedented arrangement now. Much has been written on Xi's proclamations on "one country, two systems" since his visit. Yet there are other equally important dimensions of Xi's remarks in Hong Kong which deserve our attention.