Align with national goals, Xi urges Hong Kong with pat on back for Lee

President Xi has fully recognised the work done by Chief Executive John Lee over the year and urged the city to take further steps to play its part in the nation’s development

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President Xi Jinping (right) meets Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee in Beijing on December 16. Photo: Xinhua

SCMP Editorial

Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.

Published: 7:15am, 17 Dec 2025

The Hong Kong chief executive’s annual duty visit to the Chinese capital is a good opportunity to report on and review the city government’s performance as well as set goals for development. What set John Lee Ka-chiu’s fourth visit apart were the prevailing circumstances, with the aftermath of the Tai Po fire tragedy, the work of the new legislature and the preparation for the next national five-year plan high on the agenda.

There was full recognition from President Xi Jinping of the work of the Hong Kong leader and his team. This means a lot to Hong Kong at this challenging time. In addition to reiterating his care and sympathy for the victims of the fire, Xi highlighted the strategic planning laid down in the fourth plenum of the Communist Party’s Central Committee for the 15th five-year plan, under which Beijing will continue to support Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity. Xi urged the city to more proactively align with national development. Lee pledged to follow up on post-disaster recovery work while pushing forward high-quality development and reforms.

On Lee’s duty visit last December, Xi highlighted the significance of the third party plenum in July, which set systematic goals for China’s next stage of modernisation and the deepening of reform. This was taken as a reminder to the Lee administration to further undertake reform and be more innovative when aligning the city’s development with the national strategy. The message this year is even louder and clearer as Beijing gears up for the new five-year blueprint.

To Beijing, the conviction of media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying on Monday for sedition and collusion with foreign forces signals another milestone in the city’s efforts to strengthen national security. Given that stability and prosperity have been restored by the national security law and the all-patriots electoral reform, now is the best time to foster new high-quality development and improvements in people’s livelihoods.