Xi meets incoming HKSAR chief executive John Lee

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping met with John Lee, the newly elected and appointed sixth-term chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Monday afternoon at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

Xi congratulated Lee on winning the election and his appointment by the central government and commended Lee for his unwavering love for the country and the HKSAR, for his readiness to take on responsibilities, for his initiative, and for fulfilling his duties in different positions. Xi told Lee that he has contributed to safeguarding national security and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, and the central authorities give full affirmation to him and have full trust in him.

Xi noted that since last year, under the new electoral system, the HKSAR has successfully held elections of the Election Committee, the seventh-term Legislative Council, and the sixth-term chief executive. It has been proved that the new electoral system played a decisive role in ensuring the implementation of the principle of patriots administering Hong Kong, ensuring the people of Hong Kong exercise their rights as masters of the region, and facilitating a good environment where people of all social strata and from all walks of life work together for Hong Kong's development. He added that the system is a political and democratic system that is in line with the "one country, two systems" principle and suited to the realities of Hong Kong and its needs for development, which thus must be cherished and upheld for a long time to come.

Xi stressed that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and, despite the many challenges over the past 25 years, the practice of "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong has been a resounding success. The central authorities' resolve to fully and faithfully implement the principle of "one country, two systems" has never wavered, still less will it change. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the central government, the HKSAR government, and the whole of society, Hong Kong has achieved a return to order and is now at a crucial stage of advancing toward prosperity. He said he believes that the new HKSAR government will bring refreshing changes to governance of Hong Kong and the region will open a new chapter of development.

Senior officials including Han Zheng and Xia Baolong attended the meeting.