BEIJING, Sept. 21 -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with a delegation of young representatives from flag-raising teams in Hong Kong and Macao schools at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to all members of the delegation, and extended a warm welcome to them on behalf of the central government.

The delegation comprises nearly 1,200 students from primary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education in Hong Kong and Macao. They are in Beijing for a trip to pay tribute to the national flag.

According to Ding, President Xi has always cared about and supported the growth of youth in Hong Kong and Macao, and emphasized that when young people thrive, the two cities will thrive, and the country will thrive.

Noting that Hong Kong and Macao have ushered in the best development period in history, Ding called on the students to carry forward the cause of "one country, two systems."