HONG KONG — President Hu Jintao said Friday that he hopes the outgoing chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Donald Tsang, will continue to help develop Hong Kong and support its new government.

Hu made the remarks around noon local time after flying in for a meeting with Tsang ahead of weekend events to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China from British rule. Hu also will attend Sunday's inauguration of Leung Chun-ying, who is succeeding Tsang as Hong Kong's third post-handover chief executive.

At their meeting, Hu said Tsang has worked diligently since his 2005 election as chief executive, and with support from the central government in Beijing, the regional administration under Tsang has achieved progress.

The president cited the Hong Kong government's role in responding to the global financial crisis, strengthening cooperation with the Chinese mainland, and designing and implementing policies for economic and social development.

Tsang thanked Hu for Beijing's support to Hong Kong under the "one country, two systems" principle. He said the region was able to manage the impact of the financial crisis because it had consolidated its status as a center of global finance, trade and shipping — an achievement backed by the central government.

Future support of this kind will enable Hong Kong to combat similar difficulties in the global economy, Tsang said.