Foreign news
Xi Jinping: Next five years ‘crucial time’ for Hong Kong to make breakthroughs
The practice of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong has achieved accomplishments “recognized worldwide,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said on a visit to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Friday.
Xi made the remarks at a meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the HKSAR.
Xi said Hong Kong’s return opened a new epoch in its history during which it has made irreplaceable contributions to the miracle of long-term, steady and fast economic development of the motherland.
Hong Kong has become an integral part of the country’s overall development and actively aligned with national development strategies, the president said. It has continued to maintain the strengths of being highly free and open and compatible with international rules, he added.
Hong Kong has played an important role in advancing the new paradigm of China’s opening up on a larger scale, across more areas and in greater depth, he said.
The next five years will be crucial for Hong Kong to achieve breakthroughs, Xi said, calling for joint efforts from the new HKSAR government and all social sectors to improve governance, strengthen growth drivers, address difficulties in people’s lives, and safeguard harmony and stability.
Full, faithful implementation of ‘One Country, Two Systems’
Xi stressed the need to fully and faithfully implement the “One Country, Two Systems” policy.
Upholding national sovereignty together with security and development interests are paramount in the policy, he said. On the basis of this prerequisite, Hong Kong and Macao should maintain their capitalist system over the long run and enjoy a high degree of autonomy, he added.
Calling on Hong Kong to keep strengthening the momentum of development, Xi said the central government fully supports the HKSAR in aligning with national development strategies, developing more extensive and closer exchanges and cooperation with the world, advancing reforms in an active and prudent manner, and fully unleashing the enormous creativity and development vitality of Hong Kong society.
John Lee was sworn in as the sixth-term chief executive of the HKSAR at a ceremony overseen by President Xi.
In his inauguration speech, Lee said Hong Kong has encountered various challenges in the last 25 years, including the global financial crisis, social unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic, but has overcome all of them, thanks to the “resilience and strong will” of the people, as well as unique advantages under the “One Country, Two Systems” policy.
He vowed to adopt a “results-oriented approach” to tackle Hong Kong’s long-term issues, such as housing and land supply, whilst bolstering the city’s overall competitiveness in its traditional role as a global financial hub and as an emerging center for innovation and technology, as well as arts and cultural exchange.
(CGTN’s Huang Fei contributed to the story.)
Foreign news
Nigerians lament over exorbitant UK visa application fees
Nigerians on Thursday expressed concern over the exorbitant charges for various UK visa application fees, calling on the Foreign Affairs Minister to look into that area.
This complaint was done in a vox-pop interviews by different UK applicants in the country.
Some of them, however, complained about not getting the value for money spent, and the service delivery is also not efficient.
Speaking on the matter, Mr. Ajayi Okon said that he feels they are beginning to make so much money out of Nigerians because most Nigerians love to go there based on proximity.
“I think it is high time the government intervenes; at times it looks like extortion to me. You will pay a priority visa, which is over a million naira, to get a response within 2 days.
“The next thing, you will get an email telling you because of high demand, it will take another 15 days, so what is the essence of the priority paid for?
“ If you are collecting money for a particular service, you should have factored in how you want to deliver efficient service.
However, Mrs. Sarah Mbah said that on the application portal, the self-service option, which is cheaper, is not accessible easily.
According to her, after paying so much on visa fees, you will still be denied without an option of appeal despite the money spent.
“I think the government needs to pay attention, especially in those areas of visa application to other countries.
“The fees are getting too high, and the service delivery is also not satisfactory. Nigerians will outright be denied without any right to appeal after paying so much.
“ I feel is not right; some cases should be allowed to appeal, especially looking at the resources involved, so people won’t feel cheated,“ she added.
Furthermore, Favor Adamu said that the perception is usually that it is people who have the resources that apply for UK visas, but the truth is, people save up for those fees.
She said that because of the high rate of migration, they usually suspect that everyone coming to their country won’t want to return, and based on that, they use that to denial people.
Adamu said based on this, the fees should not be too much, so such a person won’t feel cheated because they cannot even appeal the decision.
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