Xia Baolong, Beijing’s point man for Hong Kong and Macau affairs, has urged the two special administrative regions to fully grasp the advantages that the “One Country, Two Systems” principle is offering them and to focus on their governance on both high-level security and high-quality development.
Xia, who paid a fact-finding visit to Macau last September, heads both the Hong Kong and Macau Work Office (HKMWO) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council. He made the remarks in Beijing on Thursday while addressing a seminar held by the Chinese Association and Hong Kong and Macau Studies (CAHKMS), an influential thinktank. The aim of the one-day seminar was to study and implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s important speeches during his inspection visit to Macau on December 18-20, 2024, which marked the 25th Anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland and the swearing-in of the principal officials of the sixth government of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) and its chief public prosecutor.
The seminar was simultaneously held by video link in Macau and Hong Kong, whose chief executives, Sam Hou Fai and John Lee Ka-chiu, accompanied by the senior government, lawmakers and civic leaders, attended it in the MSAR and HKSAR respectively.
During his visit to Macau, President Xi delivered two important speeches, a “toast” on December 19 at the welcoming dinner hosted by the local government, in which he stressed that “whoever supports ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and loves Macau as his home is a native who drank water from the Lilau spring* and a positive force contributing to Macau’s development”, and an “address” at a solemn gathering on December 20 that celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the MSAR and the inaugural ceremony of its sixth-term government.
I regard the address, the full text of which has been published by our newspaper in print and online, as the most important speech by the nation’s head of state in Macau in the past quarter of a century. The address was intrinsically programmatic and pragmatic.
Referring to “One Country, Two Systems” – which I regard as a political coup de maître by late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping – Xia pointed out that a “good system is one that enables peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation among different social systems” and that, therefore, “must be upheld for a long time”. He urged his audiences in Beijing, Hong Kong and Macau to “deeply understand its spiritual essence and rich connotations”. He added that “One Country, Two Systems” is “good because it conforms to the fundamental interests of Hong Kong and Macau and is wholeheartedly supported by the residents of Hong Kong and Macau, as well as the nation’s 1.4 billion inhabitants as a whole.
“It conforms to the fundamental interests of the nation… and conforms to the interests of investors from all countries and is supported by the international community.”
Xia also quoted President Xi as pointing out that “the values of peace, inclusiveness, openness and sharing are embodied in ‘One Country, Two Systems’ that belongs to both China and the whole world.” Xia, a former vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Conference (CPPCC) and governor and Party secretary of Zhejiang province, stressed that the “One Country, Two Systems” formula has provided Chinese wisdom and solution for promoting global governance… and “is a major contribution to political civilisation”.
Concerning the “wise” principle’s “inherent” meaning of “peace,” Xia singled out coexistence in harmony and the resolution of disputes and differences through consultation and dialogue. “Inclusiveness”, he underlined, means the “inevitable requirement” of “embracing all rivers”, i.e., respecting institutional differences and diverse characteristics. He described “openness” as the principle’s “distinctive feature” of “constantly injecting new vitality into economic and social development. And, last but not least, the 72-year-old veteran politician described “sharing” as “win-win cooperation, mutual benefit and reciprocity”, and the allocation of institutional dividends and develop achievements.
All this, he said, “is the result of the practice of ‘One Country, Two Systems’.”
As someone who has lived and worked as a journalist under the “One Country, Two Systems” policy for over 25 years, I wholeheartedly support Xia’s conclusions. I should add that “One Country, Two Systems” is 100 percent “made in China” – Great Britain and Portugal had nothing to do with its creation but, thank goodness, ultimately accepted it more or less reluctantly (London) or quite readily (Lisbon) during their separate talks with Beijing that resulted in the joint declarations concerning both Chinese territories’ return to the exercise of Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and 1999 respectively.
Of course, “Two Systems” is only possible within the ambit of “One Country” – and “One Country”, logically, takes precedence over “Two Systems”. That’s where, realistically, the precept of the Central People’s Government’s overall jurisdiction over the nation’s SARs comes in.
I am sure that the “One Country, Two Systems” principle is a long-term approach by the central authorities towards the two SARs that, consequently, transcends Article 5 of each SAR’s Basic Law stating that “…the previous capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years” – counted from July 1, 1997 in Hong Kong and December 20, 1999 in Macau. The only thing that, when the time comes, needs to be done is for the National People’s Congress (NPC) to amend Article 5 of each Basic Law. I am mentioning this matter as I have been asked by quite a few journalists in the past few months about the 50-year “deadline”. As a political realist, I am of the view that deadlines are guidelines, not absolutes, because of which they can be modified as needed, as they are, at any rate, meant to be adaptable.
Returning from the future to the present, summarising the spirit of President Xi’s two speeches in Macau, Xia also said that both Hong Kong and Macau need to maintain high-level security and promote high-quality development, as both are major tasks that must be coordinated to advance the practice of “One Country, Two Systems”. He said that both national security and socio-economic development are top priorities, and that both SARs “must be unwavering in maintaining security and unwavering in focusing on development in focusing on development, as both are indispensable”.
Xia also urged Hong Kong and Macau to “give full play to their unique advantages and strengthen their internal and external connections”, a functional role overall that must be consolidated and enhanced to advance and enhance the practice of “One Country, Two Systems”. He also exhorted both regions to “polish their international brands” and to demonstrate greater achievements on the international stage.
Within this context, I think that Macau should further strengthen its ties with the world’s nine Portuguese-speaking countries, the southern African middle powers of Angola and Mozambique in particular, as well as Brazil as a major country on the international stage and founding member of BRICS, without neglecting relations with Portuguese and the other smaller member nations of Forum Macao. Macau should also strengthen its ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is set to increase its membership to 11 once East Timor is formally welcomed into its fold. A large number of Macau’s tourists comes from Southeast Asia, which, anyhow, has millennia-long relations with China.
Concerning the practice of “One Country, Two Systems”, Xia also stressed that both SARs ought to “seek common ground while acknowledging differences, enhance exchanges and integration of diverse cultures, unite all forces that can be united, and form a broader unified support for ‘One Country, Two Systems’ at home and abroad.”
Xia also underlined that while in Macau, President Xi specifically reaffirmed that the original intention of the Central People’s Government’s decision to develop Hengqin was based on the aim of promoting the appropriately diversified development of Macau and facilitating Macau residents’ livelihoods and employment opportunities. “This positioning must be grasped well, and we must not develop anything [in Hengqin] inconsistent with this positioning”, Xia said. In other words, he was adamant the Macau must ensure that Hengqin’s development plans support the MSAR’s economic diversification.
Looking at the issue from a realistic viewpoint, we should accept the fact that the development of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin– which was formally launched in September 2021 - is just leaving behind its toddlerhood (customarily defined as ranging from the first to the third year of a child). The zone has now reached its preschool age, i.e., a more mature development phase. I look at Hengqin as a medium- to long-term project that aims to help Macau play a more diverse and influential role in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) by nurturing non-gaming and non-tourism businesses, such as high-tech start-ups and the modernisation and standardisation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), as well as the future development of finance, such as fintech, green bonds and AI-driven data analytics and automated trading.
Xia urged Macau authorities to look at, for instance, whether, in the wake of the setting-up of the Hengqin development initiative, there have already been concrete measures and results in promoting the local economy’s appropriate diversification, whether new institutional achievements have been made in leveraging the advantages of the “Two Systems” and promoting the connection of rules and mechanisms between the two places, and whether the integration of Hengqin and Macau has been playing a pioneering role in promoting market integration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA).
I find Xia’s candid approach towards the challenges and opportunities that Hengqin means for Macau both realistic and refreshing. After all, the in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin is the biggest project that Macau has ever undertaken. It is no easy task. It is a “gift” from the Central People’s Government to the MSAR. Any gift, small or large, tangible or intangible, ought to be appreciated and nurtured. Both appreciation and nurturing are key to ensuring that gifts flourish and bring satisfaction and even happiness to both the giver and the receiver. I hope that all local government officials and community leaders are aware of this.
Xia also encouraged Macau and Hong Kong to make greater contributions to the development of the Greater Bay Area, of which Macau is the smallest but certainly “most special” member, by maintaining strategic determination and persisting in long-term efforts.
Finally, Xia said he hoped that the two SAR governments will bear in mind President Xi’s instructions, follow the trend of the times, take the initiative to identify, respond to and seek changes, better leverage the institutional advantages of “One Country, Two Systems”, strengthen mutual learning, exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong and Macau, and constantly open up Hong Kong and Macau. He also encouraged Macau’s new government to improve the efficiency of its governance and make greater efforts to ensure an efficient and effective public administration. Considering that over 34,000 people are employed by the local government, or around 9 percent of the city’s workforce, I presume that the number of public servants should be sufficient to ensure a public sector that serves Macau well – provided that it is finally undergoing a thorough overhaul of its human resources management…
Our new Chief Executive Sam Hou Sai responded to the seminar by saying that Xia’s remarks about President Xi’s speech in Macau have provided “crucial guidance” for him and his team. He said that Xia’s speech in Beijing “comprehensively, deeply and systematically elucidated the profound connotations and significance” of President Xi’s important speeches during his inspection visit to Macau last month. His five portfolio policy secretaries also underlined in separate statements the useful guidance given by the seminar for their future work, pledging to follow the president’s instructions.
Overall, I am optimistic that Sam, who has said that he is committed to pursuing people-orientated policies, and his team will fully grasp the advantages that the wise “One Country, Two System” principle entails.
– Harald Brüning
*The old adage “Anyone who drinks the Lilau water will never forget Macau” expresses the close link that locals have with their beloved city. Lilau is a square in the peninsula’s S. Lourenço parish. The word is of Cantonese origin, meaning “profitable bay”. The name has become synonymous with the spring itself and is often associated with the cultural and historical identity of Macau.
