The graduates are from a program aimed at nurturing talent organized by the elite Beijing university under its executive master's in public administration program.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony through a video yesterday, he said graduates should deepen knowledge of national development after Beijing said Hong Kong should develop into an international financial, innovation and aviation center.

"Hong Kong must seize the development opportunities provided under the Greater Bay Area as well as one of the mega-development plans in Hong Kong - the Northern Metropolis," Lee said.

Future administration officers should also have a global view while being familiar with national and Hong Kong affairs, he added.

"The geopolitics of the world now is complex and volatile, therefore officials administering Hong Kong must be forward-looking apart from having a good understanding of the local situation," Lee said.

One country, two systems and high degree of autonomy principles have achieved remarkable achievements over the past 25 years after the handover, he said.

The SAR has to further enhance its ability in public administration in an era when it is "patriots administering Hong Kong" with the implementation of the national security law in June 2020.

The public administrative talents program is the first to nurture executive public administration talents for Hong Kong.

He called on the graduates to integrate the theoretical knowledge they have learned in the university into practice.

"Hong Kong is an executive-led political system. Knowledge of public administration provides a solid foundation for governance of the SAR, but more important is to use knowledge in practice and contribute to Hong Kong's future development with professional experience in other fields."