By fostering reconciliation among different Palestinian factions, the recent Beijing Declaration symbolizes hope and offers an alternative approach to addressing the longstanding Middle East conflict. 

Although some may argue that the Beijing Declaration simply reiterates past statements on intra-reconciliation between different Palestinian factions, it cannot be dismissed as lacking innovation. This document presents new avenues for achieving lasting peace in the Middle East and serves as a testament to China's innovative mediation efforts. Its potential impact extends far beyond diplomatic success, offering a glimmer of hope for a better future in a conflicted region.

The Beijing Declaration provides a more comprehensive framework to unite the voices of Palestine, laying a foundation for the future establishment of a Palestinian state. A major obstacle in achieving a two-state solution is the internal division and fragmentation within Palestine's political forces. However, unlike previous agreements, the Beijing Declaration not only aims to reconcile Fatah and Hamas but also includes all other significant factions in Palestine, creating a platform for unifying their political voice.

As President Xi Jinping called for a more inclusive international peace conference on the Palestine issue, the Beijing Declaration has opened a new channel and provided a crucial supporting framework. The involvement of Egypt and Algeria in this declaration ensures its continuation as a concerted effort. Just after its announcement, Sven Koopmans, European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, acknowledged China's "important role in reconciliation based on a two-state solution." This declaration solidifies China's position as a key player in promoting peace and stability in the region.

The Beijing Declaration, announced at a crucial time, has the power to reignite hope and confidence within the international community for a two-state solution. This declaration comes as previous deals have failed to address the pressing issue of marginalization toward this solution, which is now facing its greatest crisis yet. The unbalanced power dynamic between Palestine and Israel hinders any real progress toward revitalizing the two-state solution. Restoring unity among the various rival factions within Palestine could help rebalance their leverage in negotiations with Israel and inject new life into the long-stalled peace process for Palestine.

Ever since the successful mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year, China's involvement in the Middle East has steadily increased. As it navigated through complex conflicts, China gained invaluable experience in the art of mediation. In contrast to traditional methods, China has brought fresh and innovative elements to its mediation efforts, leaving a lasting impact on the region.

China places great importance on ensuring that mediation is rooted in just values that align with international standards of justice. This was evident in its involvement in the Palestine conflict, where a balance between realpolitik tactics and adherence to just values was crucial in reaching a compromise among the involved parties. China always maintains respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, not just in the Middle East but also in other conflict-ridden regions. 

For instance, in the case of Syria, China has exercised its veto power multiple times in the UN Security Council to prevent military intervention, because it recognized the importance of balancing power dynamics. This approach has earned China trust among regional countries, making it a powerful mediator in various conflicts.

From China's perspective, mediation is seen as a continuous and sustainable effort that is of utmost importance in earning credibility. The peace process in the Middle East is a challenging task, filled with unpredictable twists and turns. A mediator must understand that a single peace deal will not be a quick fix to deeply-rooted conflicts, and that maintaining a long-term and sustainable effort is key. In contrast to the US approach, China's engagement in Middle East peace is not influenced by partisan interests or government turnover. This serves as an institutional guarantee for China to effectively participate in the peace process and bring about lasting change.

China firmly believes that mediation should not be weaponized and used as a tool for geopolitical confrontations. In contrast to US initiatives in the region, China's mediation approach does not rely on the leverage of military alliances, but rather on its strong economic partnerships with Middle Eastern countries. Additionally, China's mediation efforts are not tied to any geopolitical intention. The focus remains on fostering peaceful relationships and promoting mutual cooperation among all nations involved.

China's involvement in mediating Middle East conflicts marks another significant achievement in its efforts to engage with the region. However, this path toward peace requires international cooperation as a necessary foundation. Despite key differences between China's mediation methods and those of the US, it embodies the ancient Chinese principle of finding harmony amid diversity. It is important to note that China's mediation does not contradict existing initiatives in the Middle East, but rather complements them, with a sincere hope for the Middle East to become an oasis of peace amid an increasingly fragmented world and a beacon of hope for global unity and understanding.

The US' newly approved strategy hyping the intelligence threat from China and Russia is an old trick by Washington attempting to provoke camp opposition in the Asia-Pacific region, serving its plan to implement unilateralism and hegemonism in the region, which will only bring insecurity and instability to the international community, Chinese experts said on Friday.

According to VOA, US President Joe Biden signed on Thursday a new strategy claiming Russia, China, Iran and North Korea as the "main culprits" that caused the US to face "a series of unprecedented threats from foreign intelligence agencies." 

The strategy also claimed that Moscow and Beijing are "the most significant intelligence threats," and hyped that they are increasingly cooperating with each other "to undermine the US."

The US' aggressive smearing of countries in the Asia-Pacific is a deliberate attempt to create divisions and foster hostility in the region, Chinese experts said.

"By painting China and Russia as adversaries, the US is seeking to create the formation of opposing camps in the Asia-Pacific region," Lü Chao, dean of the Institute of American and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University and a research fellow at the Charhar Institute, told the Global Times on Friday.

It has been the consistent practice of the US to stigmatize China in an effort to tarnish its international reputation, Lü said, noting that this is aimed at serving Washington's unilateral hegemonism in the Asia-Pacific region. However, Lü warned that such actions will only bring serious insecurity and instability to the international community.

When asked about US hyping of the bilateral cooperation between China and Russia, Lü emphasized that these partnerships are conducted with a focus on mutual benefit and are never targeted at a third party. Despite this, the US continues to take a provocative attitude toward China-Russia cooperation, and is also trying to sabotage the coordination between other countries and China and Russia. 

The US' reliance on spreading disinformation to sow discord and conduct provocation is a futile endeavor that is destined to end in failure, analysts said.

Experts also noted that the US hype has significantly eroded the bedrock of mutual trust in China-US relations. Both sides stand to benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation, but the US continues to wantonly smear China, constantly exaggerating the bilateral relationship as being a hostile one, Lü said.

It is imperative for the US to approach its interactions with China in a rational manner and avoid crossing red lines. China will resolutely fight back if any further provocative actions are taken by the US, experts said.

US officials have called for Washington to prioritize matching China's presence in the Global South. However, Chinese experts noted that China's approach of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, as opposed to the US' Cold War mind-set and its carrot-and-stick approach, has been key in winning hearts in Global South countries. 

Speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday, Ben Cardin, a Democratic senator and chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the US needs to offer the Global South an alternative to China.

"In order to address these challenges, the US should not only be investing in our military, but also our diplomatic and economic development tools," Cardin said.

Echoing Cardin, US State Department Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said at the hearing that he has traveled to Africa twice since his appointment in February and has plans for a third trip. He also noted that there are 14 ambassador nominations for posts on the continent yet to be approved by the Senate, according to Voice of America. 

Several senators at the hearing stressed the need to increase the US diplomatic footprint and fill empty ambassadorial posts, particularly within the Global South.

Campbell said the lack of US ambassadors in key posts is "embarrassing" and "antithetical to US strategic interests." 

The US has quickened its pace in competing with China over influence in the Global South in recent years. In the latest move, the US opened an embassy in the Pacific island country of Vanuatu earlier this month, described as part of Washington's long-running competition with China for influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

The US has overlooked a crucial distinction in its approach to cooperation with Global South countries compared to China. While China offers equal and mutually beneficial partnerships that contribute to the development of these nations, the US often employs a carrot-and-stick approach to coerce support for its own interests, and treats these countries as tools in a geopolitical competition, Song Wei, a professor from the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times. 

Campbell also said that "we need to do more, and we have to contest Chinese actions, not only in terms of their forward basing strategy, but their desire to go after Africa's rare earths that will be critical for our industrial and technological capabilities."

US competition with China in obtaining critical minerals, such as rare earths, will further politicize and intensify the global scramble for resources in developing countries, which is not conducive to the development of these countries, Song said.

A new Gallup report released in April this year shows median approval ratings for the US in Africa slipped from 59 percent in 2022 to 56 percent in 2023. Of the four global powers asked about, the US was the only one not to see its image improve across Africa in 2023. Meanwhile, China's approval in the region rose six percentage points, from 52 percent in 2022 to 58 percent in 2023, two points ahead of the US. 

A series of ASEAN-related meetings and bilateral sideline talks have been held in Vientiane, capital of Laos in recent two days, as foreign ministers from ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region gathered to discuss shared concerns and emphasize unity amid rising global uncertainties. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's busy schedule in Laos, which included discussions on China-ASEAN relations, regional development and major global issues, demonstrated that despite geopolitical tensions and competition among major countries, dialogue and cooperation with an open China remain attractive to other nations.

As instability grows globally and interference from external countries intensifies, especially on the South China Sea issue, ASEAN countries are placing greater emphasis on regional unity and prioritizing cooperation with China and other major countries, rather than being drawn into small cliques that could undermine regional collaboration, analysts said.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference with China, together with the ASEAN foreign ministers or their representatives and Secretary-General of ASEAN Dr. Kao Kim Hourn on Friday in Vientiane. 

During the meeting, Wang outlined the fruitful achievements made between China and ASEAN in various aspects from trade and investment to people-to-people exchanges and energy cooperation. For instance, China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, while ASEAN has become China's largest trading partner for four years straight, with bilateral trade growing 10.5 percent year-on-year in the first half year of 2024. 

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and related events were held against the backdrop of sluggish global economic growth and protracted geopolitical conflicts. All parties hope to turn this region into a driving force for global economic development and to activate new momentum for international cooperation, Xu Liping, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. 

ASEAN is a priority direction and key region for the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and it is also one of the first regions to benefit from China's efforts to advance high-level opening-up, Xu said.

The expert noted that Wang's visit to Laos, which is also his first overseas visit after the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, as well as his extensive exchanges with ASEAN foreign ministers, will promote the implementation of reform measures proposed by the session and further deepen China-ASEAN cooperation. 

Growing challenges

The 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting started in Vientiane on Thursday, followed by meetings with East Asian countries and other global players, including Russia, the US, and the EU. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, from Thursday to Friday, Wang Yi held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Russia, India, Japan, South Korea, the UK and Norway on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related meetings.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday that Wang will also meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Laos at the latter's request. Although Mao did not provide specific information on the time and other details of the meeting, she said that it is believed Wang and Blinken will exchange views on issues of mutual concern.

According to Xu, the ASEAN-related meeting and sideline talks have become a crucial platform for China to engage in bilateral diplomacy and participate in multilateral cooperation. Over the years, China has consistently prioritized its neighboring regions in its diplomatic strategy, actively articulating its perspectives on the international stage and expanding its global influence.

Some analysts noted that China's stance on settling disputes through dialogue was clearly demonstrated in Wang's interactions with other countries' diplomats during the sideline talks, aligning with ASEAN's common aspirations.

For example, Wang met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Vientiane on Thursday, and the two sides agreed to jointly commit to maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas and promote new progress in border affairs consultations.

Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, said that the latest remarks of the Chinese and Indian top diplomats on the border issue underscore both countries' commitment to resolving border disputes through diplomatic channels and dialogues, despite existing divergences. Such efforts to prevent differences from escalating into conflicts is particularly important given the current international context. 

The current global instability makes peace in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, particularly valuable. Most ASEAN countries cherish their hard-earned peace and wish to avoid conflicts like those in Europe, Gu Xiaosong, dean of the ASEAN Research Institute of Hainan Tropical Ocean University, told the Global Times.

Foreign ministers of China and majority regional countries have emphasized the importance of peaceful dispute resolution, agreeing that war would disrupt the region's economy. Many also expressed a strong desire to prevent the escalation of the South China Sea situation through dialogue and cooperation, aiming to maintain regional peace and stability, Gu said. 

However, analysts noted that efforts by China and most ASEAN members to resolve South China Sea issues through dialogue, as well as ASEAN's efforts to strengthen unity, have faced provocations from external interference. For example, the US and some of its allies have intensified attempts to draw ASEAN countries into their small cliques and back the Philippines in its provocations over South China Sea issues, raising concerns in the region.

Most Southeast Asian countries have expressed a strong willingness to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, which will positively influence the current tense situation to some extent, said Liu Chang, a research fellow from China Institute of International Studies. 

Liu said that US Secretary of State Blinken's meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers and visit to Southeast Asia are unlikely to yield significant results. "Until the dust settles on the US presidential election, Southeast Asian countries are expected to be more cautious in their cooperation with the US."

ASEAN will continue to emphasize its collective stance, adhering to its existing foreign policy and avoiding taking sides in major power rivalries. This reflects ASEAN's determination to uphold regional peace and stability while remaining vigilant against potential instability from major power conflicts, said observers. 

A total of 754 million domestic passenger trips were made in China in the first seven days of the 8-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival  holidays, a year-on-year increase of 78.9%. Holiday tourism generated 668.1 billion yuan ($92.80 billion), up 132.6% year-on-year, official data showed on Friday.

The second phase of a high-definition deep-space active observation facility, China Fuyan, which is dubbed as the world's most far-reaching radar system, kicked off in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, the Global Times learned from the project lead Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) on Tuesday. 

The second phase of the project, codenamed China Fuyan [faceted eye], will involve building 25 radars with a 30-meter aperture, so as to realize the detection and imaging of asteroids over 10 million kilometers away, which will provide strong support for China's near-Earth asteroid impact defense and planetary science research.

Construction of phase II, which will cover an area of over 300 mu (20 hectares), is expected to be completed by 2025. It will be a new research and development phase for the project, Long Teng, president of BIT and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in a statement sent to the Global Times. 

China Fuyan will consist of distributed radars with more than 20 antennas, and each antenna will have a diameter of 25 to 30 meters. It is expected to become the world's most far-reaching radar system capable of carrying out high-definition observation of asteroids within 150 million kilometers. 

Long said that because the system has multiple antennas, like the faceted eyes of an insect, it was given the vivid name of China Fuyan.

Through high-resolution observation of asteroids, spacecraft, the moon, Earth-like planets and Jupiter Galileo satellites and other deep-space targets, China Fuyan will meet the need for the defense of near-Earth asteroids and situational awareness of space. It will provide key support for the study of habitability of the Earth, planet formation and other frontier scientific research.

The project has three stages of construction. The first stage was completed in December 2022 in Chongqing, consisting of four radars with a 16-meter aperture. It successfully captured the country's first ground-based three-dimensional radar image of lunar craters. 

After the completion of the second phase, the third phase of the project will expand the number of radar units to over 100, the Global Times learned. 

Unlike the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope nicknamed Tianyan, which is designed to collect passive observations of radio signals from space, Fuyan will be actively shooting radio signals to celestial bodies in order to obtain new observations, experts noted.

This will be very helpful for China's lunar exploration, as it is capable of monitoring Chinese spacecraft' journey to the moon, they said.

After 276 days in orbit, China's reusable experimental spacecraft landed at its planned site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province on Monday, and Chinese space watchers said it was a milestone in China's efforts to develop a fully reusable space transportation system.

The success is an important breakthrough in China's research on reusable spacecraft technologies, which will provide more convenient and affordable round trips for the peaceful use of space, the Xinhua News Agency said on Monday.

China launched a reusable experimental spacecraft using its Long March-2F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on August 5, 2022, to test reusable technologies and in-orbit service technologies to support the peaceful use of space, Xinhua previously reported. 

China tested the reusable experimental spacecraft in September 2020, and the spacecraft returned to the planned landing site after two days in orbit. The spacecraft was also launched with a Long March-2F carrier rocket.

Chinese authorities have disclosed few details about the craft's technology. So far, no images of the spacecraft or footage of its launch or landing have been disclosed.

Many space lovers compared it to the US Air Force's X-37B, an autonomous Boeing space plane that can remain in orbit for long periods before returning to Earth on its own, saying that the technology used in the experiment is "too advanced to show" on social media. 

The reusable spacecraft's technology has evidently matured, considering how much longer it can stay in orbit, Chinese space watchers noted on Sunday. 

Song Zhongping, a space expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Monday that the reusability of such spacecraft would drastically reduce costs. More importantly, the longer orbiting time means that the spacecraft can perform more complicated missions such as changing trajectory in near-Earth orbit and sending various payloads into orbit. 

Judging from the rocket used in the launch, the Long March-2F carrier rocket - which is one of China's most advanced and reliable rockets for manned space flights - the reusable spacecraft may be used in future manned missions, said another space observer, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Given the payload launching capability of the Long March-2F, the spacecraft could weigh around 8 tons, which is very similar to the launch mass for the X-37B at around 5 tons, so that speculation about their similarity is not groundless, the observer said.

The latest test of the reusable spacecraft was the longest, most complicated, and most challenging so far. The record of 276 days in orbit even beat the first mission of the US' X-37B in 2010, which remained in orbit for 224 days, Huang Zhicheng, a space industry expert, told the Global Times on Monday. 

At the China Space Conference opening event to mark the April 24 Space of China this year in Hefei, East China's Anhui Province, Wang Wei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the research and development department of the state-owned aerospace giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, listed the 10 major scientific and technology problems for the 2023 space development.

Among them is the health monitoring of the power system for the reusable vehicle and an assessment of its service life.

Huang said that one of the many advantages of the reusable spacecraft is that it can land horizontally, which is more comfortable and safer for the crew. Once it's mature, such technology could be applied to suborbital or space tourism, and even super fast point-to-point transportation for people or cargo on Earth.

The US often hypes and smears China's technology breakthroughs as militarization because it sees all breakthroughs by non-Western countries as a threat. This is meant to maintain a technology monopoly, which is unfair to other countries and serves US hegemony, Chinese experts said.

The high-altitude pressurized liable building independently developed and built by China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co. Ltd, China's first "zero-altitude astronomical observation station," held a handover ceremony in the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and was officially delivered for demonstration application, authorities confirmed recently.

"Zero-altitude building" refers to the use of pressurization and other technologies to adjust the indoor key human settlement environment indicators to the low altitude level in the plain area, so that the human body feels more comfortable. When used, the altitude inside the building can be set according to the needs of personnel and reduce the impact of altitude sickness.

The observatory is located near Muztagh Ata, the third highest peak of the West Kunlun Mountains in Akto county. It sits at an altitude of 4,526 meters, with a total construction area of approximately 150 square meters, capable of supporting scientific research, residential, and office functions.

The observation station is a scientific research pressurized building specially designed for plateau astronomical work in response to the needs of its cooperative organization, Beijing Normal University. It can increase the overall atmospheric pressure inside the building to one standard atmospheric pressure while solving the problems of low pressure and oxygen deficiency in the plateau.

The facility provides a comfortable and healthy environment for astronomers to work and live in high-altitude areas, lowering the risk of physiological damage caused by the plateau's extreme environment.

It is expected to support a new phase of rapid development in China's astronomical scientific research work, according to media reports.

China saw a fourfold surge of monkeypox cases in July compared to the previous month, but experts reached by the Global Times noted on Friday noted that China's home-developed vaccine will soon enter the clinical trial stage. 

They also said that although in most cases people heal on their own, newborns, children, pregnant women and people with immunodeficiency may have a higher risk of developing severe or even fatal conditions. 

Due to the mild symptoms caused by the monkeypox virus and the lack of large-scale global outbreaks, research into monkeypox vaccines has been relatively limited worldwide, the experts explained.

Meanwhile, as monkeypox and smallpox viruses have extensive serological cross-reactivity, the existing vaccines used for monkeypox prevention are all smallpox vaccines. 

Retrospective studies conducted by the World Health Organization have shown that smallpox vaccine administration has an efficacy of 85 percent in preventing monkeypox. Currently, there are three smallpox vaccines approved for monkeypox prevention in Europe, the US, and Japan, Su Jinfeng, a senior biomedical engineer, told the Global Times. 

Su called for accelerated development of new vaccines to protect those at greater risk and to prevent potential outbreaks. However, the expert admitted that the development of vaccines faces several challenges due to the limited number of monkeypox cases in the country and the dispersed population, which makes it difficult to conduct large-scale clinical trials to assess a vaccine's efficacy. 

"Currently, the US, Japan and European countries have considered this type of vaccine as a reserve drug. China should also accelerate the development of a new smallpox/monkeypox vaccine, not only to prevent the spread of monkeypox outbreaks but also to protect national security and public health from threats of smallpox virus being used as a bioweapon," a vaccine expert who preferred not to be named told the Global Times. 

Given the large genome and complex structure of the monkeypox virus, as well as limited understanding of protective antigens, the development of a protective antigen-based vaccine is challenging, the expert said. Therefore, a better strategy would be to use attenuated live vaccine technology, building upon the existing smallpox vaccine, to develop a safer vaccine in human cells.

As of April 2023, preclinical research on monkeypox vaccines has been conducted primarily by the US and China, said Su. Previous reports have indicated that a total of 14 clinical studies on monkeypox vaccines have been conducted globally.

Currently, three types of vaccine have been approved for the prevention of monkeypox, from Denmark, the US, and Japan. 

Research institutions in China have already started developing monkeypox vaccines, mainly focusing on replication-defective monkeypox attenuated live vaccines and monkeypox mRNA vaccines.

In July, the replication-deficient monkeypox vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (Sinopharm) has passed the clinical trial application with the National Medical Products Administration, making it the earliest domestically developed monkeypox vaccine to enter the clinical research stage in China.

The Chinese mainland has reported 491 new monkeypox cases across 23 provincial-level regions, the country's Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Wednesday, increasing over fourfold compared to last month. 

According to epidemiological reviews, all cases are male with 96.3 percent of them identified as men who had sex with other men, and the risk of transmission through other contact methods is low.

The majority of cases exhibited typical clinical symptoms including fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes, with no severe or fatal cases.

John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive (CE) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), listened to public concerns and suggestions from hundreds of people on Sunday during a district forum for the upcoming policy address in October, which is expected to include some new measures to attract talents and boost tourism. 

The two-session forum, held in Aldrich Bay Government Primary School and lasting two hours, was attended by about 120 people from all walks of life. During the forum, community members voiced their opinions on topics including land and housing, transport, innovation and technology, finance, culture and sports, education, youth, poverty alleviation, healthcare and social welfare, according to the website of the HKSAR government.

In the second session, participants were divided into four groups with the goal of engaging in extensive discussions with principal officials on themes that include boosting the economy and people's livelihoods. Lee interacted with those participating in each group in turn. 

Lee delivered his first policy address at the Legislative Council in October 2022, rolling out a series of measures in regard to attracting global talents, enhancing the city's competitiveness as an international financial hub, and further integrating into the country's overall development plan.

The CE said the public generally agreed to the governance policy in the 2022 Policy Address, and he hopes to listen to more public views and consolidate the objectives and implementation of different policies, so as to deepen and broaden policies as well as identify priorities.

The 2023 Policy Address is scheduled to be delivered on October 25, and the HKSAR government will conduct more than 30 consultation sessions to listen to views and suggestions of Legislative Council members, representatives of various sectors and members of the public.

Following the uncertainties in the global economy, Hong Kong society now expects the HKSAR government to formulate and implement policies to foster the local economy and business sustainability, some observers said. 

Lau Siu-kai, a member of the Chief Executive Policy Unit Expert Group, told the Global Times on Sunday that the HKSAR government should implement the important policies proposed in last year's policy address and deliver tangible results as soon as possible, so as to boost public confidence in the government and Hong Kong. "There's no need to force new policies every year," he said. 

"Many of the important policies proposed in last year's policy address have crossed the five-year term. The HKSAR government has been facing the financial pressure and grim external situation, so it should cherish and make good use of resources," Lau said. 

"We have too much experience in tolerating the poor standard of civil services. Several departments have not done their roles properly. Patients have to queue up for a year just for a five-minute medical consultation in public hospitals. Somehow the public housing resources are wrongly allocated to those with their assets hidden outside the jurisdiction," Chu Kar-kin, a Hong Kong-based veteran current affairs commentator who has been following the forum, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

Also, talents are attracted to the city, but jobs are not secure and careers are not promising. Taxpayers are paying for services or resources they cannot enjoy, Chu said. 

"Property prices and rents have rocketed for a decade and is in an adjustment stage. The government should allocate more resources to invest in our future such as education and welfare for the elderly. The government should also foster the cultivation of the technology and creative sector," he said.

During the forum, Lee said that "it is necessary to look at the different needs of the public in their daily lives and understand the living conditions of various community sectors when formulating policies," so as to respond proactively to the people's aspirations, local media The Standard reported.