The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, chairs a meeting of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security.
The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, said today that the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government would continue to support and cooperate with, respectively, the National Security Affairs Adviser and the National Security Technical Advisers of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security, in order to efficiently coordinate all matters relating to Macao’s effort in safeguarding national security.
Such effort would be conducive for Macao to fully implement the initiatives outlined by the Central Government, so to ensure the MSAR fulfilled its constitutional responsibility in relation to safeguarding national security, said the Chief Executive.
Mr Ho made the remarks on Thursday (7 April), during a meeting of the MSAR’s Committee for Safeguarding National Security. Mr Ho is the Committee’s Chairman.
Thursday’s meeting of the MSAR’s Committee for Safeguarding National Security was the first session after the Central Government approved in 2021 the creation of the posts of National Security Affairs Adviser and National Security Technical Adviser. In March 2022, the Central Government appointed several officials to those positions.
The Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR, Mr Fu Ziying, was appointed by the State Council as National Security Affairs Adviser of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security. Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR Mr Zheng Xincong, as well as Mr Yin Shuhua, were appointed as National Security Technical Advisers of the city’s Committee for Safeguarding National Security.
The appointment and the taking up of duties of respectively the National Security Affairs Adviser and the National Security Technical Advisers showed the full implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle in Macao, and of major arrangements in Macao for safeguarding national security, said Mr Ho.
At Thursday’s meeting, Mr Fu said he looked forward to working closely with all members of the Committee, in order to implement the important instructions from President Xi Jinping, as well as relevant Central Government decisions and strategies. That was in order to jointly fulfil Macao’s constitutional responsibility of safeguarding national security, resolutely defending the sovereignty, security and development interests of the country, while firmly protecting Macao’s long-term prosperity and stability.
Those present at the meeting discussed the work carried out in 2021 in relation to safeguarding national security. Topics discussed included: law enforcement effort; work on complementary legislation and other supporting laws; and educational and promotional effort. A plan for this year’s work, including legislation procedures and a series of activities to mark the National Security Education Day, was also reviewed during the meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Fu affirmed Macao’s work over the past year in safeguarding national security, saying it was the result of firm guidance from the Central Government, as well as the leadership of the Chief Executive and concerted effort across the local community. He also quoted President Xi’s full acknowledgment – expressed during the Chief Executive’s 2021 duty visit to Beijing – regarding Macao’s effort in relation to safeguarding national security.
Mr Fu pointed out that there was a number of challenges ahead, noting that some of these challenges were brought about by external forces. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic had also created uncertainties regarding economic and social matters. He said he believed Macao was able to overcome these challenges via the concerted effort and confidence displayed by the community, and with the strong support of the Central Government.
The Liaison Office in the MSAR would also continue to support the work of the Chief Executive and of the city’s Committee for Safeguarding National Security. The National Security Affairs Adviser and the National Security Technical Advisers would help optimise further the city’s legal system and the implementation mechanism for Macao to safeguard national security. With the expansion of law-enforcement resources, work for safeguarding national security would be effectively implemented, contributing to advance further the “One country, two systems” principle with Macao’s characteristics, stated Mr Fu.
In his concluding remarks, the Chief Executive said that with the strong support of the Central Government, Macao had been able to attain progress in safeguarding national security, while keeping in place epidemic prevention and control measures. Such progress included advancing the implementation of the fundamental principle of “patriots governing Macao”; consolidating the Central Government’s overall jurisdiction over Macao; and ensuring people’s health and social stability while effectively enhancing the Macao community’s loyalty to the country, and promoting awareness regarding national security. All these efforts helped to ensure a strong foundation for the stable implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle in Macao, added Mr Ho.
Mr Ho called on members of the Committee to work in accordance with the important speech delivered on 1 July 2021 by President Xi, as well as speeches by other state leaders covering the topic of national security. He also urged the participants in the meeting to pay attention to the instructions and aspirations from the Central Government, as conveyed by the National Security Affairs Adviser and the National Security Technical Advisers. Mr Ho said Committee members should approach national security issues in Macao making use of a comprehensive perspective, and should persevere in their effort regarding safeguarding national security and development, and coordinate traditional and non-traditional work relating to national security.
Committee members should also make further effort to fix any shortcomings in existing local systems regarding safeguarding national security, in order to lower any security risk and threats to national security, as well as to maintain the stability of the country and of Macao, and to ensure a suitable environment for economic recovery, added Mr Ho.
