Mr. Xue Xiaofeng, Deputy Director of Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (CPG) in the Macao SAR and his delegation visited the One Country Two Systems Research Centre at Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) on 23 June 2017 for a meeting with its staff. The delegation received a warm welcome from Professor Im Sio Kei, Vice President of MPI and Dr. Leng Tiexun, Head of the research centre. Mr. Xue encouraged the centre’s research team to promote collaboration and innovative thinking, and to produce more fruitful research results in the future.

Professor Im Sio Kei, Vice President of MPI thanked the Liaison Office of the CPG for its care and support to MPI. He also expressed his gratitude to the Research Office for its long term support to MPI’s One Country Two Systems Research Centre. Professor Im introduced Mr. Xue to the progress of research on the theory and application of ‘one country two systems’ conducted at the research centre under the full support of MPI. According to Professor Im, MPI has placed great importance on students being educated to ‘love their country and Macao’. Dr. Leng Tiexun, Head of the One Country Two Systems Research Centre introduced the centre’s research projects and results in recent years, while others such as Professor Ieong Wan Chong expressed their views on how Macao has successfully implemented the ‘one country two systems’ system as well as the new challenges that it faces.

Mr. Xue affirmed the achievements of MPI’s One Country Two Systems Research Centre, expressing his hopes that the centre would play a bigger role in terms of its think tank and advisory functions. This would greatly facilitate the Macao SAR government to fully implement the policies of ‘one country two systems’, act in strict compliance with the law and promote the development of the SAR. During the meeting, Mr. Xue gave guidance to the future work of the centre, citing Chairman Zhang Dejiang’s speech given on 27 May to commemorate the 20th anniversary of implementing the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Mr. Xue proposed that the centre should first encourage innovative thinking on the theory of the ‘one country two systems’ concept to generate more fruitful results in this area. The centre should round up the achievements of the system in Macao so as to provide a stronger conceptual base for its further implementation, making fuller use of theoretical notions as a forward-looking and guiding principle in this regard. Secondly, the centre should expand its horizons by strengthening the cooperation with prominent think tanks and academic units of the Chinese Mainland. Through borrowing the strengths of these parties, the centre can improve its research capabilities and better administer the ‘one country two systems’ concept in Macao. At present the centre should emphasise research on how Macao can participate in the establishment of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. By aligning with the needs of China, Macao can play to its strengths and make better progress as the country’s development reaches greater heights. Thirdly, the centre should fight against all odds to support the Macao SAR government to act in strict compliance with the law. One of the key reasons that Macao has been able to achieve tremendous economic and social accomplishments is the effective implementation of its executive-led political system framework. The balance and coordination between executive and legislative powers, which are essential in the Basic Law framework, have been well achieved in Macao. Strong research efforts should be devoted to how an executive-led political system framework under the core leadership of the Chief Executive could be sustained. The research team of MPI’s One Country Two Systems Research Centre should promote the results of such research to the general public. Furthermore, Mr. Xue hoped that the centre would step up in the nurturing of talents in addition to its ongoing research projects, ensuring the centre’s sustainability while adhering to the directions of its research duties in promoting Macao’s implementation of the ‘one country two systems’ concept.

The attendees of this meeting included Mr. Gao Qixing and Mr. Hou Hong, Director and Director Assistant of the Research Office of the Liaison Office of the CPG in Macao; Mr. Xu Jing, its Deputy Director; Mr. Xie Zhiqiang, Department Director and Mr. Lin Ziqing, Director of the General Office; MPI’s representatives included Professors Ieong Wan Chong and Xu Chang; Associate Professors Li Yangping and Ji Chaoyuan; Lecturers Che Sei Tak, Chan Wai Tan, Leong Sok Man and Ho Man Ieng; Advisory Senior Administrative Officer Jau Sui Lie and Principal Administrative Officer Mak Ion Hei.