President Xi Jinping meets with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee Ka-chiu, who is on a duty visit to Beijing, capital of China, Dec 18, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping’s full recognition of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s work in safeguarding national security and implementing “patriots administering Hong Kong” is a great encouragement to Hong Kong society, which will inspire all sectors to strive harder on the right course of development, political heavyweights and scholars said. 

Their remarks came after Xi and other state leaders heard work reports from the chief executives of the Hong Kong and Macao SARs in Beijing on Monday afternoon.

Lawmaker Brave Chan Yung said the central government’s recognition of Lee’s work is based on society’s response to his latest Policy Address, public opinion polls, and the successful implementation of the District Council Ordinary Election on Dec 10 

HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Macao CE Ho Iat-seng set off for Beijing on Sunday to report to state leaders on the latest economic, social and political situations in the two SARs. 

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According to Tam Yiu-chung, a former Hong Kong delegate to the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, Xi’s remarks not only recognized the efforts of the chief executive and the Hong Kong SAR government in the past year, but also reiterated his commitment to the “one country, two systems” policy. 

The meeting gave full recognition to Lee’s efforts and boosted the Hong Kong society’s confidence in future development.

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant for the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told China Daily that Xi has attached great attention to the HKSAR government’s work on safeguarding national security, the improvement of local governance under the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong”, the handing of livelihood issues, and the HKSAR’s integration into the overall development of the country. 

Lau said these areas serve as key assessment indicators for the central government in evaluating the performance of the Hong Kong SAR government.

Lawmaker Brave Chan Yung said the central government’s recognition of Lee’s work is based on society’s response to his latest Policy Address, public opinion polls, and the successful implementation of the District Council Ordinary Election on Dec 10. Chan said he believes that the central government’s affirmation is an encouragement to the chief executive himself, the SAR government and all sectors in Hong Kong.

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District councilor-elect in North District Corey Lau Chun-hoi said that Xi’s remarks made him more aware of the importance attached by the central authorities to the improvement of the District Council system and this month’s election. He added that under the new electoral system, newly elected councilors will have more room and opportunities to improve community services.