The central government will extend further support to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to consolidate its competitive strengths and develop itself into an international hub for scientific and technological innovation during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, a senior official said on Friday.

Han Wenxiu, deputy head of the Office of Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs, said at a news conference that the central government will support the region to develop a platform for the Belt and Road Initiative while pushing forward the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

More policy measures will be rolled out to help residents of Hong Kong and Macao to explore opportunities in the Chinese mainland, he said, adding that the two regions will continue to extend support to conduct exchanges and cooperation with different countries and regions.

He stressed that with the full and faithfully implementation of the "one country, two systems" and the better integration of the two regions into national development, Hong Kong and Macao will definitely maintain long-term prosperity and stability.