Xia Baolong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, speaks at a panel discussion in studying Chinese President Xi Jinping's latest speech in Hong Kong. Photo: Courtesy of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council

Anyone who dares to challenge the bottom-line of the "one country, two systems", to and assume an anti-China stance and instigate riots in Hong Kong and in Macao will be severely punished, Xia Baolong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, told said at a panel discussion in studying Chinese President Xi Jinping's latest speech in Hong Kong on Monday. 

Xia told the panel that Xi's recent trip to Hong Kong delivered the confidence and hope, largely boosting the confidence of Hong Kong society and international community's confidence in the city's prospects. The trip also and encouragingencouraged the new Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government to unveil a new page for the good governance, Xia said. 

In recent years, the central government took a series of measures in Hong Kong and Macao with the aim of safeguarding the country's sovereignty, security and interest of development, which ensured the practice of the "one country, two systems" won't deviate from its original intention. If such a top crucial principle could notcannot be guaranteed, there's neither stability nor prosperity in these two SARs, Xia said. 

The implementation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong helped the city enter a new stage of transitioning from chaos to order and the electoral reform fixed the loopholes in local governance, guaranteeing that those who govern the city are patriots and preventing those anti-China figures from using the local governance to instigate subversion and anti-China activities. 

Xia urged that all the residents in Hong Kong and in Macao to remain vigilant on the anti-China figures who instigate riots in the cities, as the US-led Western forces could make cause trouble anytime. To implement the principle of only patriots governing Hong Kong and Macao, we should resolutely crack down on any anti-China forces that instigate riots resolutely and fight back the US-led foreign forces firmly to safeguard these two cities. 

Fundamentally, coming up with the National Security Law for Hong Kong and the electoral reform and fighting the anti-China forces that instigate riots in Hong Kong and in Macao all aim to ensure safeguard the practice of the "one country, two systems," unchanged, Xia noted. 

"Anyone who dares to challenge the bottom-line of the 'one country, two systems,', and to instigate riots and oppose to the China will be severely punished," he said. 

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the chairperson of the New People's Party in Hong Kong, who was also appointed recently as convener of the Executive Council meeting, told the Global Times on Monday that speakers did not mention the timetable for the legislation of Article 23 but said there are still anti-China rioters who are colluding with foreign forces to sabotage the city, on which we should remain vigilant in the long term. 

She also mentioned that Xi's speech offered an important indication to the local government in the SAR to handle local affairs and interact with the legislature and market in a positive way. 

Tam Yiu-chung, a member of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee from Hong Kong, another attendee of the panel discussion, told the Global Times that Xia pointed out that Xi hoped the HKSAR government will increase the efficiency of the local governance, to fix social livelihoods issues. "It offers the guidelines for action," he said.