President Xi Jinping on Monday affirmed the work of Chief Executive John Lee and said he is confident Hong Kong has a bright future.

Xi, Premier Li Qiang and other leaders held a meeting with Lee on the second day of his duty visit to Beijing.

Xi said the central government fully supports Hong Kong in achieving national development goals.

“The central government is persistent in maintaining One Country, Two Systems, Hong Kong’s capitalist system, lifestyle and patriots governing Hong Kong. We fully support the chief executive, especially working with the SAR government, to lead society to grasp the opportunities brought by national development and achieve related goals,” he said.

“The vitality and superiority of One Country, Two Systems will continue to emerge. We are confident in Hong Kong’s bright future.”

Lee thanked Xi for his guidance, care and support for Hong Kong.

He said his government adopts a results-orientated approach to policy-making and has implemented the principle of patriots governing the SAR.

“Hong Kong has the distinctive advantages of enjoying the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. In the past year, economic activities have resumed and society is generally stable. The Legislative Council has been operating rationally,” Lee said.

“The seventh district council elections have just ended and the principle of patriots governing Hong Kong has been implemented in district affairs.”

It was the first time in more than 20 years that the president and premier met together with a Hong Kong chief executive during a duty visit. In recent years, the CE first reported to the premier and then separately to the president.

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the new arrangement signifies that the central government is paying more attention to Hong Kong affairs.

“Hong Kong affairs is going to be very important in the policy agenda of the Chinese Communist Party,” he said.

“The fact that the Chinese Communist Party pays so much attention to Hong Kong means that Hong Kong will receive even more support, not only from the party but also from the government of China, and that Hong Kong's development will be further promoted.”

He added that Hong Kong can help with the nation’s development in areas mainland cities cannot, such as promoting the internationalisation of the RMB and developing into an arbitration centre on behalf of the country.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the change in the arrangements is conducive to strengthening the mechanism of the CE being answerable to the central government.
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Last updated: 2023-12-18 HKT 20:42