Financial Secretary Henry Tang Tuesday said the government would serve the public with policies based on the people.

Tang made the remark a day after President Hu Jintao announced the "three wishes" he had for the SAR. On Monday in Macao, Hu told Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and his principal officials to secure greater unity and stability in Hong Kong and pursue an economy based on the people.

Speaking after officiating at the inauguration ceremony of KCRC's Ma On Shan Rail, Tang expressed an earnest hope for everybody in the SAR to be united for the betterment of Hong Kong.

"First of all, I thank the president very much for the encouragement. We will start with the people as we serve the public while striving to strengthen policy direction," Tang told the press.

"I believe that as long as we can get closer to the public, the people will share with us in the way the SAR is governed. I earnestly hope that every citizen in Hong Kong can get more united and can do more to build a brighter future for Hong Kong," he said.

In his speech at the inauguration ceremony, Tang said Hong Kong is one of the most dynamic cities in the world.

Tang stressed that people in Hong Kong had demonstrated an ability to adjust to the rapidly changing environment, overcome new challenges and reach new heights in the economy.

He said the railway formed an integral part of the government's strategy to develop the New Territories to ease the congested population in urban areas that, he pointed out, would lead to a higher quality of living for the general public.

Tang recalled that in the early 1970s, developments were concentrated along the sides of the harbour with 80 per cent of the population on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Today, about half of the people live in the New Territories.

In another development, tourism chief Selina Chow was upbeat about the growth Hong Kong was expected to experience in tourism.

Chow, chairperson of the Tourism Board, said the number of arrivals is likely to exceed 21.36 million by year's end, about 38 per cent up from the 15.54 million arrivals for the whole of 2003.

Chow said Hong Kong and Macao were following different development models. While tourism in Macao was driven by the gaming industry, the Macao-style was not suitable for Hong Kong which aims to diversify tourist attractions available to visitors.

(China Daily HK Edition December 22, 2004)