President Xi Jinping meets with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee, who is on a duty visit to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 16, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

President Xi Jinping meets with Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Sam Hou Fai, who is on a duty visit to Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 16, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee, and Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Sam Hou Fai, in Beijing respectively.

During the meeting, Xi heard a report from Lee on Hong Kong's current situation and the HKSAR government's work, per Xinhua News Agency. 

Xi said that the central authorities fully recognized the work of Lee and the HKSAR government. 

The fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stressed the importance of resolutely implementing the "one country, two systems" policy, under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy, and promoting the long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong, Xi noted.

On the same day, Xi also heard a report from Sam on Macao's current situation and the Macao SAR government's work. He said the Macao SAR government should align actively with the 15th Five-Year Plan, uphold and improve its executive-led government, solidly advance efforts to appropriately diversify Macao's economic development, and better integrate into and contribute to the country's overall development.

Li Qiang, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Ganjie, Chen Wenqing, Xia Baolong and other officials attended the two meetings.

Wide attention

Xi's meetings with both Lee and Sam have drawn wide coverage on media from both Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. 

Hong Kong's TVB news has published an article with the title highlighting Xi's recognition of HKSAR government's work. 

Similarly, Hong Kong's Ming Pao, Ta Kung Pao and Radio Television Hong Kong, along with other media outlets, also ran articles on Xi hearing a report from Lee.

The Macao Daily noted that this was Sam's first duty visit to Beijing since taking office. Teledifusão de Macau highlighted Xi's remarks that new achievements have been made in Macao's economic diversification.

Writing on his Facebook page on Tuesday, Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, president of the Seventh Legislative Council wrote that "I am deeply grateful to President Xi and the central government for fully affirming the work of the Chief Executive and the HKSAR government. As an important part of the governance team of the HKSAR, the Legislative Council plays a vital role in delivering good governance. The successful conduct of the Legislative Council election reflects voters' high expectations for its work."

Deep recognition

The regular reports of the Chief Executive to the central government are both a reflection of fulfilling responsibilities and a symbol of "One Country, Two Systems," highlighting that the Special Administrative Region is part of the country. Administratively, the Chief Executive, as the highest administrative officer of the region, follows a dual responsibility system, being accountable not only to the central government but also to the citizens of the Special Administrative Region, said Chu Kar-kin, a veteran commentator based in the HKSAR and member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies. The central government also values the work report submitted by the Chief Executive, Chu said. 

Chu told the Global Times on Tuesday that the political and economic development of the HKSAR has been progressing smoothly, a success created through the collective efforts of all Hong Kong residents. The leadership of the Chief Executive and their team has been crucial to this achievement, Chu said. 

President Xi's meeting with HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee during his duty visit to Beijing fully demonstrates the central authorities' high regard for and care toward the HKSAR, Willy Fu, a law professor who is also the director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Central government gave full affirmation to the work of Chief Executive John Lee and the HKSAR government. The expert said this showcases the strong vitality of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle. The central government has always been a strong backing for Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, Fu noted.

The Recommendations of the Central Committee of the CPC for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, made public in October, 

noted that "we must resolutely implement the policy of One Country, Two Systems, under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong and the people of Macao administer Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy. We should see that Hong Kong and Macao are administered by patriots, ensure that both special administrative regions are more effectively governed in accordance with the law, and promote their economic and social development."

"We should support Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating into and contributing to the country's overall development. Cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao in economic and trade affairs, science and technology, culture, and other fields should be strengthened, and policies and measures should be improved to make it more convenient for people from the two regions to develop careers and live on the mainland," reads the document.

The 15th Five-Year Plan already contains many concrete initiatives. The HKSAR government needs to formulate Hong Kong's development direction in light of the Plan's specific provisions, so that Hong Kong can both seize the development opportunities arising from national development and leverage its unique advantages to contribute to the country's overall development. To this end, the HKSAR government needs to further enhance its governance capacity and standards, particularly in planning for long-term development and in coordinating and aligning work across different policy areas in accordance with the overall development strategy, Lau Siu-kai, a consultant from the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies who is also a senior policy advisor, told the Global Times.

Compared with the 14th Five-Year Plan, I believe Hong Kong will be better aligned with national development strategies and more deeply integrated into the overall national development agenda under the 15th Five-Year Plan, particularly in its participation in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative. At the same time, the central authorities will step up efforts to promote Hong Kong's integration with the country, said Lau. 

President Xi's full affirmation of the work of Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai and the Macao SAR government represents recognition of the achievements made by the SAR in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, advancing economic and social development, and improving people's livelihoods, Choi Man Cheng Angelo, president of the Macao-Taiwan Exchange Federation, told the Global Times.

The Macao SAR government has consistently upheld governance in accordance with the law, resolutely safeguarded the authority of China's Constitution and the Macao Basic Law, improved the legal framework and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding national security, and effectively prevented and deterred interference by external forces, thereby ensuring Macao's political stability and long-term prosperity, Choi noted.

Actively aligning with national development strategies, the Macao SAR government has pragmatically advanced the moderate diversification of the economy and worked to overcome challenges arising from changes in the domestic and external economic environment, Choi said, noting that with strong support from the central government, the SAR government has focused on safeguarding and improving people's livelihoods, maintaining overall economic and social stability and prosperity in Macao, with residents' sense of gain, happiness and security continuing to grow.