BEIJING – First Vice Premier Han Zheng met yesterday with a delegation from Macau at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
The delegation consisted of representatives from the Macau Federation of Trade Unions, the General Union of Macau Neighbourhood Associations and the Women’s General Association of Macau. Locally, the three influential groups are customarily known by their abbreviated names in Cantonese - Gung Luen, Kai Fong and Fu Luen respectively.
Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the central government will continue to unswervingly and fully implement the principle of “One Country, Two Systems,” uphold the authority of the nation’s Constitution and the Macau Basic Law and ensure that the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” is always advancing along the right direction.
Speaking highly of the three organisations that love both the country and Macau, Han encouraged them to make greater contributions to building a better Macau and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He described the three groups as the “driving forces” of patriotism in Macau.
During the meeting, Han pointed out that 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland and the establishment of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR).
Han also said that the three groups’ visit to the nation’s capital was very meaningful. The 65-year-old former mayor and party chief of Shanghai also pointed out that President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to Macau’s development. He underlined that Xi has made many important speeches about Macau and sent two letters, one to the elderly and the other to students, in Macau this year. Han said this shows that Xi cares deeply for Macau.
Han, one of the central government’s four vice-premiers, also emphasised that Xi praised Macau recently for being an example for the whole world of the successful practice of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle with Macau characteristics during the past two decades.
The MSAR was established on December 20, 1999.
‘Important driving forces’
Han, one of the seven members of the Standing Committee of the CPC Politburo, urged the three organisations to continue their role as important driving forces for the successful implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, and also to give their full backing to Macau’s chief executive and the local government in running the MSAR in accordance with the law. He also urged them to help promote Macau’s integration into the nation’s overall development.
Macau is a member of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) conurbation development project. The GBA comprises Macau and Hong Kong – the nation’s two special administrative regions – as well as nine cities in Guangdong province including Zhuhai and Shenzhen.
Han also underlined the three organisations’ important role in safeguarding Macau’s prosperity and stability. He also said they should continue to promote the core values of loving the country and loving Macau, urging them to further strengthen their efforts to build a better Macau.
Top 3 delegates talk to media
Chan Kam Meng, Gung Luen’s chairman, is the leader of the delegation comprising over 90 members from the three organisations. The Fu Luen members of the delegation are headed by their chairwoman Ho Teng Iat, the sister of Chief Executive-designate Ho Iat Seng, who is slated to be sworn in on December 20.
The leader of the delegation’s Kai Fong members is their chairman Leong Heng Kao. Both Ho and Leong are deputy leaders of the delegation which is paying a working visit to Beijing this week.
Chan told reporters after the meeting that Han praised Macau’s patriotism and urged the city to integrate itself into the overall national development. Chan also said that Han fully affirmed the three groups’ contributions to Macau’s civil society and development.
Leong told the media that Han urged Macau people to correctly understand the “One Country, Two Systems” principle and to support the Macau government in running the city according to the law. Leong also said that Macau’s young people should strengthen their patriotism and knowledge of the Chinese mainland.
Ho told reporters that after her return to Macau she would convey Han’s message to local people that the mainland strongly cares for and supports Macau and is fully committed to the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
First Vice Premier Han Zheng (front, centre) poses for a group photo with the Macau delegation members and senior central government officials including Liaison Office Director Fu Ziying (front, fifth from left) and Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) Director Zhang Xiaomeng (front, seventh from right) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. Photo: MPDG
Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, shakes hands with Ho Teng Iat, chairwoman of the Women’s General Association of Macau (Fu Luen) during Han’s meeting with a Macau delegation consisting of representatives from the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen), the General Union of Macau Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong) and Fu Luen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday, as Gung Luen Chairman Chan Kam Meng (second from left, front) and Kai Fong Chairman Leong Heng Kao (front, third from left) look on. – Xinhua
