For the first time, Macau’s top leader Sam Hou Fai attended the opening meeting of the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday in his capacity as the chief executive of the special administrative region (SAR), after which he emphasised the importance of national security as a fundamental principle of “One Country, Two Systems’, saying that the MSAR government must continue to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.
According to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS), the third session of the 14th NPC opened yesterday morning, during which Premier Li Qiang delivered a report on the work of the Central People’s Government.
In the report, Li emphasised the need for both the SAR governments to “fully, accurately and steadfastly” implement the principles of “One Country, Two Systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong” and “the people of Macau governing Macau”. His report also highlighted, the GCS statement added, the importance of maintaining a high degree of autonomy to safeguard the constitutional order of the two SARs, as confirmed by the national Constitution and both regions’ respective Basic Laws, and to uphold the principles of “patriots governing Hong Kong” and “patriots governing Macau”.
The GCS statement quoted Li’s report as highlighting the central government’s support for Hong Kong and Macau in developing their respective economies, improving people’s livelihoods, deepening international exchanges and cooperation, better integrating themselves into the nation’s overall development, and maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of both SARs.
In the statement released by GCS after the meeting, Sam expressed his “heartfelt” gratitude to the central authorities for their long-term care and support for Macau, pledging that his government would continue to implement the principle of “One Country, Two Systems” in an “unswerving and comprehensive” manner, while also consolidating and developing its successful implementation with Macau characteristics.
In light of the fact that this year marks the conclusion of the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2025, with the central authorities now focusing on high-quality development and planning for their 15th Five-Year Plan, Sam pledged that his government will collaborate with all sectors of the community to study and implement the spirit of the “two sessions” – of the 14th National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Sam, the statement said, also emphasised the importance of seizing the opportunities presented by the further advancement of Chinese-style modernisation, in line with President Xi Jinping’s important speeches during his visit to Macau on December 18-20, adding that he will work “diligently and boldly” to make changes, aiming to create a glorious new chapter for Macau’s development.
As quoted by the statement, Sam underlined his government’s commitment, in accordance with the central authorities’ plans, to further deepen reforms in a comprehensive manner, saying that the local government would convert the spirit of the two sessions into practical actions, enhance the effectiveness of governance by strengthening inter-departmental coordination and policy linkages, and strive to promote the appropriate development of Macau’s diversified economy. Additionally, Sam also stressed that Macau would endeavour to a build platform for greater openness to the outside world, fully leveraging its role as a “strategic liaison” between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, thereby contributing to the nation’s high-quality development.
Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (left) and Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu attend yesterday morning’s opening meeting of the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. – Photo: GCS
