Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison in the Macao Special Administrative Region on Friday, urging the troops to make new and greater contributions to the successful practice of "One Country, Two Systems" in Macao.

Xi repeatedly praised the men saying, "I salute you, comrades!" and "Comrades, thanks for your hard work!" during the inspection.

Stressing that the PLA Garrison in Macao shoulders great responsibility and a glorious mission, Xi urged the troops to resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security and development interests and firmly maintain Macao's prosperity and stability.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), inspected the garrison after attending a gathering in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

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In the past 20 years, the PLA troops in Macao have resolutely implemented the decisions and instructions of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC, Xi said.

"The troops have done a remarkable job in performing defense-centered tasks and demonstrated the PLA's image as a powerful and civilized force," he said. 

(With input from Xinhua)