HONG KONG -- President Xi Jinping Saturday inspected major infrastructure projects in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), urging more efforts to keep and improve its competitiveness.

Xi inspected the construction site of the Hong Kong segment of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge, noting that building of the bridge is a major step of the central government to support better development of Hong Kong, Macao and the Pearl River Delta region.

It also represents an important achievement of close collaboration among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao under the "one country, two systems" framework, he added.

He urged active follow-up work on the project to ensure its smooth and safe operation after completion.

Xi also inspected the construction of the third runway at Hong Kong International Airport, saying that the central government supports the building of the runway to help Hong Kong consolidate its status as a global aviation hub and improve its overall competitiveness.

The president said that efforts must be made to ensure safe and efficient construction of the project, and maximize its benefits after completion.

Xi arrived in Hong Kong Thursday for a three-day trip to attend celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the fifth-term government of the HKSAR. He also inspected the HKSAR.