New SARs affairs chief meets Macao officials
The nation’s top official on Hong Kong and Macao affairs met principal officials of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government in Beijing on Tuesday.
Han Zheng, head of the Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, expressed his hope the officials would comprehend the new thoughts and strategies outlined by President Xi Jinping on their SAR’s development.
The meeting was Han’s first public activity in his Hong Kong-Macao affairs capacity. He is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. By tradition, one Politburo Standing Committee member chairs the group after party leadership reshuffles.
Noting that it is the fourth year of Macao’s current administration, Han supported the work of Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on and his team in pushing forward longterm development, especially by improving the city’s livelihood and diversifying its economy.
The SAR government should heed President Xi’s call to firmly maintain Macao’s long-term prosperity, accelerate the city’s integration into the country’s overall development and promote the SAR’s complementary development with the mainland, Han said.
He also urged the SAR government to keep on improving people’s livelihood.
Han said the central government’s overall jurisdiction has been effectively implemented in Macao, along with its high degree of autonomy, since the SAR’s return in 1999.
He hoped the Macao SAR Government could comprehensively and accurately implement the “one country, two systems” principle and Macao Basic Law, the SAR’s constitutional document, and firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security and developmental interests.
Han ranks seventh in the Politburo Standing Committee. He is also vicepremier of the State Council.
Han’s predecessor in the Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, Zhang Dejiang, stepped down from the party’s leadership last November and retired last month.
The Macao delegation, led by its Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan Hoi-fan, comprised nine government officials and the public prosecutor-general. They visited Beijing for training sessions at the Chinese Academy of Governance regarding national development, followed by a visit to Jiangsu province. The training program runs from April 21 to 25.
The program, approved by Chui and related departments of the central government, aims to give Macao’s civil servants fresh insights on national strategies and the latest developments regarding the country’s socio-economic conditions. It is part of the effort to consolidate Macao’s contribution to national development.
The 10-strong delegation also paid a visit to Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, in Beijing on Monday.
During the meeting, Zhang spoke highly of the SAR government and hoped the governance team in Macao could further strengthen their national awareness and consider the big picture.
He also urged the Macao government officials to enhance their governance capacity, recruit and foster more talents.
Zhang said Macao should ride the momentum of the country’s overall development, facilitate the diversification of the SAR’s economy and push forward the successful implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle.