The new director of the central government's Liaison Office in Hong Kong said on Wednesday that ending violence and chaos remains the most pressing task for Hong Kong, appealing to the whole community to cherish Hong Kong and uphold the "one country, two systems" principle.

"Given the current situation in Hong Kong, I want to say that ending violence and chaos and restoring social order still remain the most pressing task for Hong Kong," said Luo Huining, the new director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

"I also want to say that treasuring Hong Kong, our home, is a shared view, expectation and responsibility of all who truly care for and cherish Hong Kong," he added.

Luo made the remarks at the annual Spring Festival reception held by the liaison office in Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center and attended by around 4,000 guests including representatives of the central government and the HKSAR government, foreign diplomatic missions and various sectors of Hong Kong society.

Pointing out that Hong Kong has not completely emerged from its predicament of prolonged social unrest, which has brought Hong Kong's economy into a recession and severely affected residents' lives, Luo called on the whole community to cherish their home by making the best use of "one country, two systems", upholding the core values of the rule of law and civilized society, and realizing the aspiration of prosperity and development.

"Despite our differences in political views, all should agree that recognizing the 'one country' and cherishing the 'two systems' will be key to securing Hong Kong people's livelihood as well as the region's future," he said.

"Overstepping the bottom line of the rule of law as well as the civilized society will only lead to disastrous damage to society," he said, urging people who love the country and Hong Kong to work in unity. He also called on Hong Kong's 180,000 civil servants to fulfill their responsibilities, and all sectors of society to make joint efforts to firmly uphold the core values of the rule of law and resolutely support the HKSAR government in its effective administration in accordance with the law.

Xinhua