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"Serving the country is my lifelong goal and pursuit and I'm
pleased and proud to be a deputy of the National People's Congress
(NPC)," said Wang Rudeng, a new NPC deputy of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (SAR).
Wang, 61, joined in the former Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch
at the age of 19. After the return of Hong Kong to the Motherland,
Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch was renamed to the Liaison
Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR.
Wang, also assistant director of the Liaison Office, has been
devoted to strengthening ties between Hong Kong and the Chinese
mainland and served as a bridge for both sides in the past 42
years.
"As an NPC deputy, I have got another channel to do this work,"
said Wang in an interview with Xinhua.
"Instead of working individually, NPC deputies will give full play
to our team work," Wang said. "I will work closely with the other
35 Hong Kong deputies to fulfill our obligations."
Honored as he is as an NPC deputy, Wang feels the heavy
responsibility on his shoulders.
As
Hong Kong is in a critical period of economic restructuring and
integration with the Pearl River Delta, Wang said, the SAR's NPC
deputies must make full use of their advantages and make greater
efforts in promoting the ties between Hong Kong and the
mainland.
During his work in the Liaison Office of the Central People's
Government in the HKSAR, Wang has organized visits to the mainland
for many headmasters of different schools in Hong Kong.
The mainland needs the latest technology and absorbs talented
people, Wang said, adding that as an NPC deputy, he will be engaged
more in the cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the
mainland.
After the return of Hong Kong to China, local people are more
concerned about the state affairs and have offered many valuable
opinions and suggestions.
Wang said he will actively collect the opinions of Hong Kong people
and hand them in through the NPC.
Moreover, Hong Kong people are keen on the development of the
mainland and offered financial aid to many poverty relief programs
and helped many poor students return to schools in the mainland.
Wang hoped to render better assistance in this regard.
Over the years, Wang has been active in Project Hope and handled
dozens of programs, serving as an important bridge in helping Hong
Kong donors find proper programs and offer financial aid to poor
mainland students.
Talking about the work of Hong Kong's NPC deputies, Wang said that
under the "one country, two systems" principle, the Hong Kong NPC
deputies could not interfere in affairs that the Hong Kong SAR
government shall administer on its own.
However, they are able to participate in the SAR affairs on the
capacity as Hong Kong citizens, safeguarding the national unity and
the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and supporting the SAR
government to administer in accordance with the law, said Wang,
noting that the two aspects do not contradict with each other.
Wang said the 10th NPC deputies of the Hong Kong SAR were elected
in a transparent, fair and impartial way and the elected deputies
represent the cream of all walks of life in Hong Kong.
The new NPC deputies are well aware of their responsibilities and
they will cooperate and work as a team in the following five years,
Wang said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2003)
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