Honorary Doctor Kou Hoi In shares his experience in two sessions and encourages youth to set sights on Greater Bay Area

As part of its 42nd anniversary celebrations, City University of Macau (CityU) invited Dr. Kou Hoi In, a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress and President of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR Government, who also holds an honorary doctorate from CityU, to deliver the Doctor honoris causa Lecture and share insights from the “two sessions.” The lecture was held in the Conference Room of the Tai Fung Building on the Taipa campus today (April 4th) and was attended by around one hundred participants, including Rector Jun Liu, Vice Rector Ip Kuai Peng, Consultant Ip Peng Kin, Council member Sandy Chan, Director of the Rector's Office Che Ka I, deans, department heads, faculty, staff, and student leaders. The lecture marked the conclusion of the anniversary celebrations.

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Dr. Kou Hoi In explained the concept of the “two sessions” and clarified the differences between them from the aspects of historical development and rights enjoyed. He pointed out that the National People's Congress (NPC) is the top legislature in the national institutional system and the highest organ of state power, while the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) functions as a political consultative and advisory body, which includes political consultation, democratic supervision, and political participation.

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Dr. Kou continued to discuss the main agenda of this year’s “two sessions,” which included listening to the work reports of the State Council, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, reviewing the State Council Institutional Reform Proposal, and the election of the new national leaders. He shared that during his trip to Beijing for the annual sessions, the National Development and Reform Commission arranged a special evening session to discuss with the Macao deputies to the National People's Congress after listening to their opinions, which showed the country's concern and importance placed on the city’s development. “As Macao’s economy is small and has limited resources, it requires strong support from the national government departments. The establishment of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin Island will contribute to better integration with the national development plan,” Dr. Kou emphasized.

Dr. Kou emphasized the need for Macao to consider how to further enhance its role and positioning in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and serve the needs of the country. He also noted that, “according to the State Council Institutional Reform Proposal, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council will be upgraded to be directly led by the CPC Central Committee, which will enable Macao to implement new plans, introduce new regulations, and create more opportunities for its development.”

Dr. Kou also discussed that since the implementation of the Reform and Opening Up policy, the country has achieved fruitful results in poverty alleviation and made a great leap from “standing up” and “becoming prosperous” to “becoming strong” and pursuing high-quality development. At the same time, the country actively advocates for the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind and promotes the economic development of countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. “For the people of Macao, there are ample opportunities for development, and it is hoped that everyone can better play their roles and serve the country's development,” Dr. Kou said.

During the Q&A session, Dr. Kou was pleased to see students actively asking questions about youth development. He encouraged them to broaden their horizons and not only focus on developing Hengqin and Macao, but also set sights on the Greater Bay Area and even the country. He advised the students not to be afraid of competition and to seize opportunities.

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Mr. Wong Changnan, Consultant of the University Gallery and a former legislator during the Macao Portuguese government period, expressed his delight at seeing the country becoming more open after the two sessions and providing more development support and preferential policies for Macao. The lecture was concluded in a lively atmosphere, and participants expressed that they had greatly benefited from today’s session.