中国国务院港澳办主任夏宝龙上星期到香港考察六天。他在全民国家安全教育日开幕礼上说：“修例风波这场港版颜色革命，虽然没有得逞，但这是香港历史上永远抹不去的伤疤，是我们永久的痛。”

夏宝龙是中共组建中央港澳工作办公室后，首名赴港考察的高层官员。他亲民的形象受到好评，但很多人也从他的讲话中，解读到中央防范国安风险、从严治港的手腕不会放松；《基本法》23条立法将加快。

这期的早报播客《东谈西论》，听主持人韩咏红与《联合早报》香港特约记者戴庆成解析夏宝龙访港的政治信号。

延伸阅读：

• 夏宝龙：乱港根源未除 治理基础仍须巩固
• 新闻人间：“救火队长”夏宝龙 疫后首访香港

纵观天下，监测中国心跳，由《联合早报》副总编辑韩咏红主持的国际时事播客《东谈西论》，每周探讨国际热点话题，分析国际时政动态。每逢星期二新加坡时间晚上7时更新。

The director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), Xia Baolong, kicks off his six-day visit to Hong Kong on April 13. At the opening ceremony of the city’s National Security Education Day, Xia said that although the 2019 anti-extradition bill riots did not succeed, they left a “permanent scar” on the city, resulting in “everlasting pain”. 

Xia is the first senior official to visit Hong Kong after it was announced that HKMAO will report directly to the Communist Party’s central leadership instead of the State Council. 

His friendly demeanour has been well-received, but many have also concluded from his speech that the central government will not loosen its grip on the city to counter national security threats, and the legislation of Article 23 will be expedited. 

In this episode of Global Heartbeat podcast, host Han Yong Hong and Lianhe Zaobao’s Hong Kong reporter Tai Hing Shing discuss the significance of Xia Baolong’s trip to Hong Kong. 

Hosted by Lianhe Zaobao’s Associate Editor, Han Yong Hong, Global Heartbeat is a Mandarin weekly news and current affairs podcast that is updated every Tuesday, 7.00 PM SGT. It is available on zaobao.sg, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast platforms.

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