While congratulating the Chinese people for the country's stunning social and economic accomplishments in recent years, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping outlined a grand vision for the nation's future development when he delivered a report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC on behalf of the 18th CPC Central Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday.

The significance of this vision - where Hong Kong is concerned - lies in the suggestion that the special administrative region is a vital part of it. "Maintaining lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao and achieving China's full reunification are essential to realizing national rejuvenation," Xi said in his report.

Then it is only natural for the leader of the ruling party to expect his compatriots in both Hong Kong and Macao to share, with their peers on the mainland, the "historic responsibility" of realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. After all, they will all share in the glory and prosperity a stronger China will surely bring about.

There should be no doubt that the first and utmost step Hong Kong people must take in sharing this historic responsibility is to support full and faithful implementation of "one country, two systems". This is easily understandable. The policy framework ensures the central government under the leadership of the CPC effectively exercises its overall jurisdiction over the two SARs. This is of utmost importance in safeguarding the country's sovereignty, national security and development interests.

The importance of "unwaveringly" upholding the "one country, two systems" principle, as emphasized by Xi, could also be readily understood in the context that it has proved to be the best institutional guarantee for the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao after their return to the country.

But it is increasingly clear that upholding the "one country, two systems" principle alone is no longer enough for both SARs to sustain long-term prosperity under the current global economic environment. They must also proactively seek ways to integrate their economies into the much bigger economy of the mainland and enjoy the fruits of the mainland's rapid growth. To this end, the ruling party has decided - as suggested by Xi in his report - to give priority to development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a grand project that will not only strengthen cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao but also assign a strategic position to the two SARs in national development that will allow them to put their competitive edges into full play to the benefit of all.

Now that Hong Kong has been assigned a vital role in the nation's pursuit of the Chinese Dream, it is up to Hong Kong people to take up both the opportunities and challenges.

(HK Edition 10/19/2017 page8)