President Hu Jintao met with Tung Chee-hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government at Zhongnanhai in central Beijing, Saturday.
Tung is attending the Third Session of the Tenth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) as a member and also the Third Session of the Tenth National People's Congress (NPC) as a non-voting participant.
In a report on the situation of Hong Kong, Tung told the president that Hong Kong's economy has maintained a steady recovery and Hong Kong residents have increased their confidence. The people have reached a consensus on safeguarding social stability and promoting the economic prosperity to gain greater development, and the HKSAR government will work to achieve all this.
The president said that since Hong Kong returned to the motherland in 1997, with vigorous support from the central government and the mainland, the HKSAR government headed by Tung has united the people of Hong Kong, seriously implemented the principle of "One Country, Two Systems" and the Basic Law of the HKSAR; overcome various difficulties and challenges brought about by the Asian financial crisis and the ever-changing international economic environment; handled a series of major political, economic and social problems and safeguarded the general situation of stability and prosperity in Hong Kong. Mr. Tung and the HKSAR government have done a pioneering great job in the successful implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle in Hong Kong, and made important contributions, he said.
The central government has fully recognized the work done by Tung and the HKSAR government, the president said.
Hu said that the implementation of "One Country , Two Systems" is a brand-new undertaking, which calls for continuous probes, enrichment and development amid practice. The central government will firmly implement the principles of "One Country, Two Systems," "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy and deal with the issue of Hong Kong strictly in accordance with the Basic Law of the HKSAR, he said.
He expressed his hope that the compatriots of Hong Kong value the stability and prosperity in Hong Kong, be focused on the consensus, be more united, strive for the same goal, consolidate and develop the sound situation featured with an economic recovery and social stability, in order to build Hong Kong into a better place.
Present at the meeting were Vice President Zeng Qinghong and other senior officials including Wang Gang, Tang Jiaxuan, Liao Huiand Liu Yandong.
(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2005)
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