Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with a delegation of young representatives from flag-raising teams in Hong Kong and Macau at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday morning, Xinhua reported.
Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, conveyed President Xi Jinping’s cordial greetings to all members of the delegation and extended a warm welcome to them on behalf of the central government.
The delegation comprises about 1,200 students and teachers from primary schools, secondary schools, and higher education institutions in Hong Kong and Macau. They are in Beijing for a five-day trip to pay tribute to the national flag.
According to Ding, President Xi has always cared about and supported the growth of youth in Hong Kong and Macau, and emphasised that when young Hong Kong and Macau people thrive, the two cities will thrive, and the country will thrive.
According to Xinhua, Ding noted that Hong Kong and Macau have ushered in the best development period in history. He expressed hope that the students will understand the national flag, integrating their love for the great motherland into their blood and reflecting it in their actions; safeguard the national flag, striving to be role models of loving the country, Hong Kong, and Macau in the new era; and bring honour to the national flag, writing a brilliant life with ardent youth and serving as builders and heirs of the “One Country, Two Systems” cause.
Xia Baolong, who heads both the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office (HKMWO) of the CPC Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council, also attended the meeting, according to Xinhua.
According to Hong Kong and Macau media reports, the 1,200-strong delegation comprises 1,000 students in flag-raising teams from primary schools, secondary schools, and higher education institutions in Hong Kong and Macau, and 200 other members including their teachers, other staff, and officials from the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
The delegation comprises 300 from Macau and 900 from Hong Kong.
The Macau delegation and Hong Kong delegation departed from the two special administrative regions (SARs) on Friday last week. They are scheduled to return home today.
The delegation was headed by Hong Kong’s Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki and Macau’s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam.
The delegation’s visit to Beijing was jointly organised by the HKMWO-HKMAO, the Beijing Municipal People’s Government, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, and the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government.
Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang (front, centre) poses for a group photo with a delegation of young representatives from flag-raising teams in Hong Kong and Macau at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. – Photo: Xinhua
