Xi also told the officials to “produce a
brilliant report card” in the years to come by considering national
interest, standing firm in the face of pressure and maintaining unity in
fulfilling their duties.
The president’s detailed speech
contrasted with that of his predecessors, who focused on formalities
such as reiterating the “one country, two systems” principle and
Beijing’s support for them to govern in accordance with the law.
President Xi Jinping’s four key points for moving forward under ‘one country, two systems’
Addressing 60 Hong Kong officialsand the heads
of the city’s legislature and judiciary after the new government was
sworn in, Xi said: “You must serve the public with all your heart and
produce a brilliant report card with no regret for the country, Hong
Kong and for yourselves.”
Xi said to achieve that, the officials had to bear three principles in mind.
First, they had to consider national interest.
“Whether you are the person in charge of the executive branch,
legislature or the judiciary, you must ... observe and think of issues
from the national perspective, and take the initiative in safeguarding
national sovereignty, security and developmental interests,” he said.
Second, they had to stand firm in the face of
pressure. “It is not a relaxing or comfortable task,” he said, smiling.
“Whether you are ... implementing ‘one country, two systems’, solving
long-standing economic and social conflicts and difficulties,
strengthening young people’s national history and cultural education, or
curbing ‘Hong Kong independence’ and maintaining Hong Kong’s general stability, you need to rise to these challenges and be proactive.”
“Sometimes you also need to resist pressures and stand firm,” Xi added.
Hong Kong protesters claim they were assaulted by police at annual July 1 march
Third, they had to maintain unity. “The
governing team is a whole. One’s glory is everyone’s glory, and one’s
loss is everyone’s loss ... You must be self-conscious in defending the
team’s unity and the chief executive’s authority.
“You must also support and coordinate with each
other in your work ... Only through this [could you] ensure a firm and
powerful governance, and improve efficiency,” he said.
Watch: Carrie Lam begins her five-year term
At the end of his six-minute speech, the
president said he would be visiting Russia and Germany next week, as
well as attending the G20 summit in Hamburg.
“Right now, the global economic and political
situations are undergoing unprecedented adjustments ... and there will
be drastic changes in Hong Kong’s internal and external environments
too,” he said.
“As I have said before, if we do not ... adapt
to changes and seek changes, we could be trapped in a strategically
passive situation, and miss opportunities for development, or even miss
an entire era.”
Interactive: 20 years, 20 visualisations
He added that he hoped the city’s executive,
legislative and judicial branches could do their job and produce an
“exam paper with a passing grade”.
Xi was speaking after swearing in the new officials led by Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the first female chief executive to lead the city.
Xi left Hong Kong on Saturday afternoon after a three-day visit – his first since becoming the country’s president in 2013.
No comments: