Editor's Note: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region celebrated the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Here are some of the thoughts which people in the city shared with China Daily, as they look at what the country has achieved and anticipate the tremendous opportunities ahead for the SAR.

By Timothy Kwai

Part-time researcher, Shanghai Institute for East Asian Studies

Member, Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies

I am proud of being a Chinese citizen. We have much to be proud (of) and confident of our culture, our rising economy, and our status in the world. We have every reason to believe in the future of our country.

On Oct 1, the National Day of the People's Republic of China, I accompanied one of my elderly family members to get vaccinated. We are really hoping that the more people (who are) vaccinated, the sooner we will be able to travel to the Chinese mainland without quarantine.

In the face of tremendous changes in the international geopolitical environment, the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) of the People's Republic of China has established a "dual circulation" strategy, emphasizing internal circulation as the mainstay, and promoting a new pattern of domestic and international dual circulation. Hong Kong must better integrate into national development and actively participate in dual circulation.

Hong Kong is familiar with both the domestic market environment and the international regulations. Our country's plans to promote environmental transformation has not only caused drastic changes in production models, operations and even lifestyles, but also brought a huge funding gap. I trust that in the future we can promote Hong Kong as a green financial center of the globe.