Central authorities to fully support HK, Macao

BEIJING - The central authorities of China will fully support Hong Kong and Macao in their efforts to boost economic growth, improve the people's well-being and promote democracy, Premier Wen Jiabao said here Monday.

The central government will implement coordinated policies and measures for supporting the economic and social development of Hong Kong and Macao, and open the mainland much wider to trade in services with the two regions, said Wen at the opening meeting of the Fifth Session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The mainland will energetically expand cross-Strait exchanges between people from all walks of life and carry out cultural, educational and other exchanges to forge a closer bond and increase mutual attachment and common interests between the two sides, said Wen in a report on the work of the government.

The mainland will also deepen all-around cross-Strait economic and financial cooperation, and strive to make new progress in the follow-up talks on the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, according to Wen.

Wen added that opposing "Taiwan independence", accepting the 1992 Consensus, consolidating achievements in exchanges and cooperation, and promoting peaceful development of cross-Straits relations have increasingly become shared aspirations of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.