国内英语新闻:Hong Kong's most urgent task is to stop violence, end chaos, restore order

SHENZHEN, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The most pressing and overriding task of Hong Kong is to stop violence, end the chaos and restore order, a central government official said here Wednesday.

Hong Kong is facing the most severe situation since its return to the motherland, said Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, at a symposium jointly held by the office and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

"The most pressing and overriding task at present is to stop violence, end the chaos and restore order, so as to safeguard our homeland and prevent Hong Kong from sinking into an abyss," Zhang said.

More than 550 people attended the meeting, including HKSAR deputies to the National People's Congress, national and provincial political advisors from HKSAR, leaders of patriotic political and social organizations in Hong Kong, as well as those from relevant youth, education and professional organizations and mainland enterprises operating in Hong Kong.

At the symposium, Zhang briefed the attendees on the central authorities' policies on stabilizing Hong Kong's situation while Wang Zhimin, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in HKSAR, proposed how to implement the policies.

If the violence and chaos are allowed to continue, not only the safety of Hong Kong citizens' lives and property will be endangered, the governance authority of the SAR government, the cornerstone of the rule of law in Hong Kong, the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, and the "one country, two systems" will also be destroyed, Zhang said.

"Citizens of Hong Kong will not allow this to happen. All the people of China will not allow this to happen," Zhang said.

He said the central authorities will never sit by if the situation in Hong Kong worsens to a turmoil that the SAR government can not control.

"According to the Basic Law (of the Hong Kong SAR), the central authorities have ample methods as well as sufficient strength to promptly settle any possible turmoil should it occur," he said.