Peng Qinghua, Director of the Liaison Office of the Chinese Central People's Government in Hong Kong, said Thursday that Hong Kong can ride the wave of the country's development and use its own advantages to achieve greater success.

Speaking at a Chinese New Year reception hosted by Liaison Office in the evening, Peng said that during the past 15 years since its return to the Motherland, Hong Kong has achieved remarkable success in all aspects.

"The 15 years is a period that witnesses prosperity, stability and development of Hong Kong, a period that witnesses the great success of the 'One Country, Two Systems' cause, and a period that witnesses the writing of a new chapter in Hong Kong's history," said Peng.

According to him, in the last 15 years, Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland have deepened their exchanges and set up closer economic and trade cooperation. The Central Government has provided strong support for the city's development through a series of measures whereas Hong Kong has been actively participating in the development of the country, making significant contributions to the reform, opening-up and modernization drive of the mainland.

Peng said after 15 years of development, Hong Kong now stands at a new historical starting point. At present, Hong Kong faces a complex and changing external environment with various risks still on the rise. At the same time, Hong Kong itself has some problems that should be dealt with in earnest.

"The experience of Hong Kong's return to the motherland in the past 15 years has shown that the stable and relatively fast development of the country is always where Hong Kong gains opportunity and confidence for its own prosperity and stability," he continued.

Peng expressed the belief that Hong Kong can ride the wave of the country's development and use its own advantages to better play the role as a pilot in RMB's internationalization, to offer role demonstrations in the service industry for the mainland, to serve as a bridge for mainland enterprises "going global", to lead the regional economic development, and to achieve greater development in participating in the development of the country.

More than 4,000 people attended the reception. Among them were Tung Chee-hwa, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, among others.