‘Keeping in mind the instructions and working together to make progress, reform and innovate, and setting sail again’
New Year's Message for 2025 by Zheng Xincong, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao SAR
Macao, December 31, 2024
The winter solstice marks the beginning of the year, and the year is turning. We are still immersed in the great joy of President Xi Jinping's visit to Macao to attend the celebrations [of the 25th Anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland], and we have ushered in a new year full of hope. On this occasion of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, on behalf of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, I would like to extend New Year greetings and good wishes to the vast number of Macao compatriots!
2024 marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of the New China and was a key year for achieving the goals and tasks of the "14th Five-Year Plan". The Communist Party of China Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, united and led the people of the whole country, responded calmly and adopted comprehensive measures, and the main goals and tasks of economic and social development were successfully completed, and Chinese-style modernization took new and solid steps. In the outgoing year, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee was successfully held, which made systematic arrangements for further deepening reform and promoting Chinese-style modernization, and injected strong momentum into promoting the common development of China and the world. This year, the country's high-quality development has been steadily promoted, the overall economic operation has been stable and steady, people's livelihoods have continued to improve, and grain production has exceeded 1.4 trillion jin [a traditional measure of weight equivalent 500 grams per jin] for the first time; Chang'e 6 completed the first sampling of the back of the Moon in human history, the third-generation independent superconducting quantum computer "Original Wukong" was put into operation, and the first domestic large cruise ship "Aida·Modu" started its commercial maiden voyage; Team China achieved its best results in overseas competitions at the Paris Olympics, China’s Spring Festival World Heritage application was successful, and the domestically developed game "Black Myth: Wukong" was selected as the best game of the year by "Time" magazine. In 2024, President Xi Jinping attended the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, the China-Arab Cooperation Forum, and the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, embarked on four important overseas visits, namely Europe, Central Asia, BRICS, and Latin America, and participated in a series of multilateral summits. China's unique major power diplomacy has been courageous and resolute. Looking back at the glorious 75-year history, the New China has grown from poverty and weakness to the world's second largest economy, from insufficient food and clothing to achieving a well-off society in all respects. Chinese-style modernization has unfolded a magnificent picture and presented an extremely bright and brilliant prospect, and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process.
2024 was the 25th anniversary of Macau's return to the motherland, and it was a focused display of the advantages, brilliant achievements and bright prospects of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle. In 2024, the Macau Legislative Assembly Election Law was revised, the election of the sixth Chief Executive was successfully held, the sixth Special Administrative Region Government was successfully set up, and the new government governance team is strong and ready to go, which is widely recognized and highly expected by all sectors of society. In 2024, the "1+4" appropriate economic diversification development plan was implemented in an orderly manner, and the Hengqin line management was officially implemented; the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macao) was successfully held, and the "CEPA Service Trade Agreement" between the mainland and Macao was revised; Macao was successfully named the "East Asian City of Culture", and won the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City for two consecutive years, and became the most satisfactory destination for mainland tourists for outbound travel for the first time; Macao's GDP in the first three quarters increased by 11.5 percent year-on-year, ranking among the top in the world and first in Asia in the 2024 list of the richest countries and regions published by the "Forbes" magazine in the United States. This year, major livelihood projects such as the Macao Medical Center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the government’s Building for Seniors, the Macau Bridge and the Hengqin School Affiliated to Haojing Middle School were completed and put into use as scheduled, and the welfare of Macao's people's livelihood has reached a new level, and the overall social situation has always remained safe, stable, festive and harmonious. After 25 years of hard work, Macao has created the best development situation in its history and has become one of the richest, safest, most dynamic and happiest cities in the world. The practice of "One Country, Two Systems" with Macao characteristics has achieved universally recognized success.
President Xi Jinping has always been concerned with Macao’s development and the well-being of its residents. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, he has visited Macao three times and written back to Macao compatriots four times, repeatedly emphasizing that the original intention of developing Hengqin is to promote the appropriate diversified development of Macao's economy and facilitate the lives and employment of Macao residents. In particular, at the important moment of the 25th Anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, President Xi Jinping visited Macao in person, had extensive and in-depth exchanges with all sectors of society, discussed Macao's development plans, and praised Macao as the “pearl in the palm” of the motherland, a shining pearl on the shore of the South China Sea, a treasure of the great motherland, and a blessed land for living and working in peace and contentment; he solemnly declared that "One Country, Two Systems" is a good system to maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao, a good system to serve the great cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation, and a good system to achieve peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation among different social systems, which must be adhered to for a long time. Domestic and foreign media have released comprehensive and in-depth reports and comments about President Xi’s inspection tour [from December 18-20, 2024] and the brilliant achievements of Macao in the 25 years since its return to the motherland, attracting global attention and triggering enthusiastic responses. Various sectors of Macao held a variety of colorful celebrations, and Macao compatriots went from looking forward to them to becoming excited about them. Especially during the celebrations, wherever President Xi went, all sectors of society and residents expressed true feelings, fully demonstrating their deep affection for the nation’s leader, their high recognition of the country, and their beautiful vision for the future. "The 25th Anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, 'One Country, Two Systems' is steady and far-reaching" and "Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and creating a new situation for the development of the 'One Country, Two Systems' cause" were rated as the top ten domestic news in 2024 by China Central Radio and Television and Xinhua News Agency respectively. In the 2025 New Year's message just released, President Xi Jinping also said that on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, he came to the banks of the Haojiang [one of Macao’s ancient names] River again, and the new developments and changes were gratifying, and emphasized that he would unswervingly implement the "One Country, Two Systems" policy to maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao.
2025 is the first year to implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping's series of important speeches during his inspection tour of Macao, the key year to implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and the first year for the sixth SAR government to govern in accordance with the law. Macao will also welcome the eighth Legislative Assembly elections and other major events in 2025. We firmly believe that Chief Executive [Sam Hou Fai] and the new government will unite and lead all sectors of society, bear in mind President Xi’s earnest instructions, carry forward the four important experiences that must be grasped for the steady and long-term practice of "One Country, Two Systems", bear in mind President Xi’s four hopes for the new government, look far ahead, embrace all rivers, forge ahead, better play the advantages of the "One Country, Two Systems" framework, promote Macao’s appropriately diversified economic development at a faster pace, improve the governance efficiency of the SAR with deeper reforms, build a high-level opening-up platform with more practical measures, and maintain social harmony and stability with a more solid foundation, so that the "Macao" train can run faster and more steadily, and make greater contributions to the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation.
The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region will, as always, firmly support the Chief Executive and the SAR Government in governing in accordance with the law, and work together with all sectors of Macao society and the vast majority of Macao compatriots to make Macao, this pearl in the palm of the motherland, shine even brighter.
Wishing the great motherland prosperity!
Wishing Macao's development to achieve a higher level!
Wishing Macao compatriots happiness and health!
Caption: Undated file photo of Macao-based Liaison Office Director Zheng Xincong. - Photo courtesy of Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region
N.B. Translation of the unabridged message obtained from the official website of the Liaison Office arranged and edited by The Macau Post Daily. Explanations within square brackets added by the Post.
