Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Leung Chun-ying, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in south China's Macao, Dec. 19, 2014. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

MACAO, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping said here Friday that China's central government has full trust in Leung Chun-ying, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

"The central government will, as always, support you and the SAR government in your work," President Xi said at a meeting with Leung.

Xi and Leung are here to attend celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

Xi said that over the recent couple of months, the Hong Kong SAR government and its police force have fulfilled their duty with courage, which resulted in improvement in the current situation in Hong Kong.

"The central government has full trust in you and the SAR government, and highly recognizes your work," the president said.

Xi said the constitutional development in Hong Kong must be carried out according to the actual conditions and under the "one country, two systems" principle and the SAR's Basic Law.

He expressed the hope that the SAR government will continue to properly handle the constitutional development according to law.

Leung expressed gratitude to the encouragement of Xi and the support of the central government.

He said the Hong Kong SAR government will unite and do its utmost to do its work well, promote the constitutional development according to law and unswervingly maintain lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong.