Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who is on a duty visit to Beijing, and gave full recognition to his courageous and practical work in safeguarding national security, reviving the vitality of the economy and enabling Hong Kong to display a new atmosphere under which patriots administering Hong Kong.
Since Lee assumed the position of CE, he has led the HKSAR government with courage and in a practical manner, firmly safeguarding national security and helping revive the city’s economic vibrancy, ushering it into a new phase of patriots administering the city, which the central government fully recognized, Xi said at the meeting.
The city demonstrated a new atmosphere and is moving on the right track of One Country, Two Systems, Xi told Lee.
The meeting came after Premier Li Keqiang met Lee on Thursday during the latter’s annual duty report trip to the capital. The Chinese premier fully recognized Lee’s work of leading the HKSAR government in responding to the public’s needs, fixing the city’s social woes and helping Hong Kong regain its economic vitality.
Lee was elected as the sixth-term CE of the HKSAR government in May, which was also the first CE election since the implementation of electoral reform that aims to ensure only patriots administering Hong Kong.
After restoring order from chaos, it’s also high time that Hong Kong starts a new chapter of development, and in his first policy address in mid-October, Lee highlighted the need to improve local governance, enhance the city’s competitiveness as an international business hub and fix its social and economic woes.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has made comprehensive arrangements for the development of the Party and the country. One Country, Two Systems is a great innovation of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the best institutional arrangement for ensuring sustained prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao after their return to the motherland, Xi said during the meeting.
The central government will comprehensively, accurately and resolutely implement the policy of One Country, Two Systems, fully support the CE and the SAR government in administering the city in accordance with the law, and support Hong Kong in carrying out extensive international cooperation and better integrating into national development, Xi noted. On the new journey of the new era, Hong Kong will have a bright future, the Chinese top leader said.
“John Lee has performed well in his role as CE and earns high recognition from President Xi. This is firm support for Lee’s governance,” Chu Kar-kin, a veteran current affairs commentator based in Hong Kong and a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.
Although Lee only took on his role as CE in July, he has led reforms and economic development in Hong Kong on the right track, Chu said, adding that Hong Kong people are happy and more than satisfied with his performance.
Xi also met with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Ho Iat Seng on Friday, who is on a duty visit to Beijing.
Xi also gave full recognition to Ho’s work in steadily advancing the amendment to the national security law for Macao SAR, properly handling the work on the amendment to Macao’s gaming law and advancing Hengqin-Macao integration.
(Global Times)
