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BEIJING: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam was credited by a senior Chinese official on Friday (November 6) for restoring order and reviving the economy in the semi-autonomous territory.
Vice Premier Han Zheng, meeting Lam on the last day of her four-day visit to Beijing, said her government had “overcome all kinds of difficulties and faced challenges.”
READ: Hong Kong leader will travel to Beijing to seek financial aid
Hong Kong was rocked by protests last year demanding fully democratic elections and opposing China’s growing influence in the city’s affairs. Lam, who was elected as the leader by a committee dominated by pro-Beijing members, was accused of being too close to the central government.
China responded by enacting a national security law for Hong Kong earlier this year that has curtailed protests, which were already subsiding due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings.
Han, one of seven members of the ruling Communist Party’s highest leadership body, praised the Lam government for its handling of the pandemic, easing the economic burden on the population, implementing national security law and protecting Hong Kong’s stability. .
Lam was accompanied by several senior city officials, which, she said, demonstrates the breadth of Hong Kong’s integration into China’s national development.
He was heading to Guangdong, the southern province that borders Hong Kong, later Friday for economic talks on the Greater Bay Area, a region that also includes nearby Macau.
