HONG KONG -- Since its return to the motherland, Hong Kong has made an irreplaceable contribution to the miracle of long-term, steady and fast economic development of the motherland, President Xi Jinping said here Friday.

Hong Kong has become an integral part of the country's overall development and actively aligned with national development strategies, Xi said at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

It has continued to maintain the strengths of being highly free and open and compatible with international rules, Xi said.

Hong Kong has played an important role in advancing the new paradigm of China's opening-up on a larger scale, across more areas and in greater depth, Xi said.