Local and international leaders and scholars gathered at a high-level forum in the city on Monday to figure out how to strengthen Hong Kong’s “vitality and diversity” in the international community.

Leung Chun-ying, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, delivered a keynote speech on “Mission and Role of Hong Kong in the Construction of National Image” at the opening session.

In his keynote speech during the forum, Leung urged media organizations to allocate more resources to covering China and the rapid changes in the country.

He said it was a cause for concern that the audience, more often than not, tended to get selective, patchy and sketchy coverage.

He believes Hong Kong has a unique mission and role in rebalancing the coverage on the Chinese mainland for an international audience.

Pointing out how Hong Kong used to be the best conduit ahead of the reform and opening up on the mainland, Leung said the city had been the single largest source of foreign investments with the best first-hand information on the country.

Leung said the approximately 370,000 Hong Kong people residing on the mainland could each prove to be a good story source.

“We owe it to ourselves and to the ‘one country, two systems’ arrangement to reach out and speak out to the international community,” he said.

The forum, held both offline in Hung Hom and online, was organized jointly by the Hong Kong Coalition, a cross-sector alliance, and Friday Culture, a multi-dimensional media company

It also featured two panel discussions – one focusing on understanding Hong Kong as a multi-faceted city and the other on how to tell China’s story in a polarized world.

Ten prominent panelists from various sectors were scheduled to attend the panel discussions. They included Chair of Hang Lung Properties Limited Ronnie Chan, Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Group Allan Zeman and British Film director Malcolm Clarke, who will join the meeting via video call.