Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met with Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee, who is on a duty visit to Beijing.
During the meeting, Xi heard a report from Lee on Hong Kong's current situation and the HKSAR government's work.
Xi said that over the past year, the HKSAR government, led by Lee, has demonstrated courage and initiative and resolutely safeguarded national sovereignty, security, and development interests.
The HKSAR successfully held the election of the eighth-term Legislative Council (LegCo), and achieved steady economic growth, which mark a new step in Hong Kong's path to thriving, Xi added.
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.
He called on the HKSAR government to align actively with the national 15th Five-Year Plan, uphold and improve its executive-led government, promote high-quality economic development, and extensively participate in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, so that Hong Kong integrates into and serves the overall national development in an improved manner.
Xi hears report from HKSAR chief executive
Xi hears report from HKSAR chief executive
Xi hears report from HKSAR chief executive
The inaugural International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilizations opened in China's Macao Special Administrative Region on Tuesday, attracting over 300 participants.
The forum, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, brings together representatives of government and international organizations, and leading experts from around the world to have dialog and academic exchanges.
Under the theme of "Mutual Learning among Civilizations, Inheritance and Development," the conference features two parallel sub-forums -- "Mutual Learning among Civilizations and Diverse Coexistence" and "Conservation and Sustainable Development of Cultural Heritage"-- alongside a series of academic salons. It will also feature nearly 20 keynote speeches and discussions.
At the forum, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR government O Lam highlighted Macao's historical role as a bridge between civilizations.
"This is Macao, strong in a gentle mood, adhering to tradition in fashion, maintaining peace, harmony, courtesy and integrity. Human civilization has never advanced without exchanges and mutual learning. Macao's recent history of five centuries stands as a living record of the harmonious coexistence and common development of Chinese and Western civilizations. Here, there has been no clash of civilizations, only cultural convergence; no hierarchy of values, only dialog on an equal footing. Macao, with its history of integration of Chinese and Western civilizations, offers practical evidence, and will continue to evidence that the old logic of zero-sum game is unsustainable, while cooperation and harmony represent the true direction of human civilization," she said.
Qian Chengdan, professor of history from Peking University, also underscored the importance of civilizational diversity.
"Diversity of civilizations is among the most fundamental and vital attributes of humankind. It is hard to imagine a world with only one civilization, one voice. If there were only one single civilization and one single voice, mutual learning among civilizations will be out of the question," he said.
Macao hosts inaugural International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilizations
