BEIJING -- Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has called on Hong Kong professionals to contribute more to the country's development.

Yang said he expected more efforts by the professionals to benefit the country in furthering the reform and opening up, when meeting a visiting group of the Hong Kong Professional and Senior Executives Association on Thursday.

He said the association took a firm position to uphold the guidelines and policies of the central government, adding that it had greatly promoted professional exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong.

He encouraged professionals in Hong Kong to grab development opportunities in the new era and support Hong Kong in integrating its own development into the overall development of the country.