Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday called on security forces in the Macau Special Administrative Region to resolutely prevent and crack down on actions endangering the security of national sovereignty and challenging the authority of the central government and the Basic Law.
His comments come amid a delicate time for Beijing, which has faced increased resistance on the streets of neighboring Hong Kong. Beijing’s refusal to respond to the demands of hundreds of thousands of protesters, including direct elections for the chief executive and legislative council, has led to a 7-month standoff, with more anti-government activity expected for this weekend.
In remarks at the airport upon his arrival Wednesday, Xi made what some considered a subtle comparison between Macau’s outward stability and the tensions in Hong Kong.
“It is worthwhile to sum up the experience and characteristics of Macau in faithfully implementing ‘one country, two systems,’” Xi told an audience of journalists, officials and flower-waving children. “We will join hands to draw the blueprint for Macau’s future development,” he said.
City leaders have put Macau on a security lock down, including barring political activists and journalists from nearby Hong Kong, which has been wracked by months of often-violent anti-government protests.
Even without the heavy security, Xi would likely have seen little in the way of protests or calls for greater democracy or self-rule. Unlike Hong Kong, whose former British leaders nudged their colony gradually toward greater democratic freedoms, Macau’s small size, ineffectual rule by Lisbon and the overriding influence of the tycoons who control gambling and related businesses kept democratic expectations low.
When meeting with representatives of Macau’s security forces yesterday, the Chinese President praised the efforts of local security forces in swiftly and thoroughly tackling security problems that existed before Macau’s return to the motherland in 1999. Macau is now among the safest cities in the world. Xi said this is a remarkable achievement that deserves full recognition and commendation.
Xi told members of local law enforcement yesterday that they needed to “increase awareness of the nation […] and be highly vigilant.”
The security forces must “resolutely guard against and crack down on any activities that endanger national security, challenge the power of the central government […] and use Macau to engage in infiltration into and sabotage against the mainland,” Xi said.
Xi Jinping also met yesterday with incoming Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng amid celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the handover to Chinese rule. The Chinese President expressed the hope that the security forces will show their full support toward Ho Iat Seng, who will be inaugurated today.
Patriotic tunes stir top officials
President Xi Jinping joined chorus singers in a rendition of “Ode to My Motherland” during a gala performance last night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland.
President Xi and his wife – together with the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, and Chief Executive-elect Mr Ho Iat Seng – attended the gala performance, along with approximately 1000 other guests.
The 70-minute gala performance, with the theme “Passion of Macao, Heart of China”, was organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and held in the Macao East Asian Games Dome.
The gala performance opened with a lion dance, an activity that is listed as part of national intangible cultural heritage. The dance was followed by the curtain-raiser song “My Motherland and I”.
The show featured various acts by singers, troupes of artists, and community organisations, from – respectively – the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. They presented interpretations – via music, dance and martial arts – of Macau’s famous landmarks, culture, festive events and notable people.
A little help from Edmund Ho
Earlier in the day, President Xi Jinping met with Edmund Ho, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Xi praised Ho for having laid a sound foundation for the construction and development of the Macau Special Administrative Region during his work as the first and second-term Chief Executive. “The central government fully acknowledges your work,” Xi told Ho.
Xi voiced the hope that Ho could fully support the incoming chief executive and the new SAR government in getting off to a good start, continue to pay close attention to youth work, and guide them to strengthen the sense of national identity and pass down the core value of “loving the motherland, loving Macau” from one generation to the next.
On his turn, Edmund Ho pledged to help guide the young generation to an understanding of the country and a sense of national identity, as well as further consolidate the social and political foundation of “loving the motherland, loving Macau.”
President Xi will attend the 20th anniversary celebration of the Macau handover this morning, as well as the inauguration ceremony of the next government.
After those ceremonies, Xi is scheduled to meet with the newly-inaugurated officials representing the public administration, the legislature, and the judiciary of Macau, before he departs the territory later in the afternoon. DB/Agencies
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