Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang has commended the efforts of Macau 12 National People’s Congress (NPC) deputies, urging them to fully support their chief executive and the special administrative region (SAR) government in governing in accordance with the law, while fostering a broad consensus among all sectors of the community, thereby jointly creating a new era of prosperity and development.
He also outlined three expectations for Macau’s NPC deputies during the new era.
Ding made the remarks on Friday morning while attending a deliberation meeting of the Macau delegation at the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), where he listened to suggestions from Macau NPC deputies on the central authorities’ policies.
According to Xinhua, Ding emphasised the significant and far-reaching impact of President Xi Jinping’s participation in the commemorative events celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland and his visit to the SAR on December 18-20, saying that his visit “navigated the way for the future development of Hong Kong and Macau”.
He conveyed the message that local NPC deputies should deeply study and implement the spirit of Xi Jinping’s important speeches by embracing the crucial mission of practising the “One Country, Two Systems” principle in the new era, with the aim of making greater contributions to promoting the construction of a powerful country and achieving national rejuvenation, while also ensuring better development for Macau.
Underlining that this year is crucial for Macau’s new government to make a strong start, Ding stressed the need to further enhance its institutional mechanism for safeguarding national security, calling for the participation of local NPC deputies in promoting the appropriate and diversified development of Macau’s economy, effective implementation of the Macau-Hengqin integration, and the broad expansion of its international ties to establish a higher level of openness to the outside world.
“Over the past year, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and with the collective efforts of people from all ethnic groups in the country, Chinese-style modernisation has made significant progress, and new breakthroughs have been achieved in the cause of ‘One Country, Two Systems’,” said Ding, as quoted by Xinhua.
Ding outlined, according to multiple local news reports, three expectations to Macau NPC deputies: first, to promote the spirit of the “two sessions”; second, to support the new SAR government and its new team to govern in accordance with the law; and, third, to unite various sectors of the community.
The annual sessions of the NPC and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee are collectively known as the “two sessions”.
Friday’s deliberation meeting was presided over by the leader of the Macau NPC deputies Lao Ngai Leong. During the meeting, six fellow deputies, namely José Chui Sai Peng, Ng Sio Lai, Si Ka Lon, Chen Hong, and Vong Hin Fai, presented their suggestions in several areas, including promoting convergence between Macau and the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin; supporting the innovative development of basic education in the zone; assisting Macau’s legal practitioners in creating a platform for the nation’s higher-level opening to the outside world; integrating Macau’s elderly service system into the zone; maximising Macau’s role in “linking up with the inside and the outside world”; and compiling a series of books on the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”.
Meanwhile, Macau’s five portfolio policy secretaries and other senior officials promised in separate statements on Saturday that they will thoroughly study the spirit of the “two sessions”, including the important speeches by President Xi and the Central People’s Government work report delivered during the concurrent NPC and CPPCC National Committee sessions slated to end in Beijing this week.
Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang (centre) attends Friday’s deliberation meeting of the Macau delegation at the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing, flanked by Xia Baolong (right), who heads both the Hong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Lao Ngai Leong. – Photo: Xinhua
