On October 29, 2008, Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei met with the delegation headed by Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government during their visit to Beijing. He Yafei thanked the Hong Kong SAR Government for their support to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong SAR over the years. He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will, as always, support the Hong Kong SAR Government to expand cooperation and exchanges with the outside world and strive to do a good job in protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Hong Kong compatriots abroad in the consular protection work. Lee extended his gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its strong support to the foreign-affairs-related work of Hong Kong, including the timely and thoughtful help and protection to Hong Kong residents encountering difficulties in a foreign country. He thanked the central government for empowering Hong Kong to sign the Agreement on Mutual Exemption of Visa Requirements with Russia. The two sides also exchanged views on Hong Kong's current economic and financial situation.