"What measures the Central Government will take to curb sharp price increases are of great concern to Hong Kong residents," Ms. Helen S.Y. Choy, chief of the Beijing Bureau of Hong Kong's Cable TV, told China.org.cn at the Great Hall of the People one day ahead of the opening of the 11th National People's Congress.

Government structural reforms are also a major concern for Hong Kong residents, because they mark a significant milestone for China's political progress.

Regarding the severe snow that wreaked havoc on 19 provinces this winter, Ms. Choy said, "Hong Kong was not affected and the people there were keen on the recovery of the snow-stricken regions." Although a wide range of foodstuffs in Hong Kong relies on supplies from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong markets operated normally in spite of some temporary delays caused by traffic jams in Guangdong, which serves as the only passageway from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong.

As a veteran journalist who has shuttled between Beijing and Hong Kong for over a decade, Ms. Choy remarked that Beijing has grown into an international metropolis as busy and prosperous as Hong Kong. Noting that the nation has been crowned with brilliant success regarding urban construction, Ms. Choy mentioned that she also felt confident of progress in rural development. Although there are still gaps between cities and villages, she said:"The countryside will soon catch up with the urban pace; China’s development heads steadily towards a bright future."

(China.org.cn by Staff Reporter Chen Xia, March 6, 2008)