Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai pledged yesterday that in compliance with the guidance and instructions given by Xia Baolong, who heads both the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office (HKMWO) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), during his six-day inspection visit to Macau, his government will advance its efforts to appropriately diversify Macau’s economy by ensuring the concrete achievements in the ongoing development of the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
Sam made the remarks while summarising Xia’s six-day inspection visit during a press conference at Government Headquarters yesterday afternoon.
Xia arrived in Macau on Thursday last week for his fact-finding visit, which ended yesterday.
Sam noted that Xia’s investigation and research tour covered a wide range of places, facilities and activities with an intensive schedule. Xia met with the heads of the city’s executive, legislative and judicial organs while attending several meetings with representatives from various segments of civil society, Sam said, adding that during his six-day visit, Xia also conducted on-site investigation and research at over 10 locations, with the aim of gaining a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of Macau’s current socioeconomic developments and future planning as well as the latest progress of the local government’s administration and governance.
In addition to visiting various facilities in Macau during his six-day inspection visit, Xia also headed to Hengqin on Monday afternoon, on the fifth day of his visit, where he visited several facilities, according to the HKMWO and HKMAO website.
Sam said that the over 10 locations that Xia visited included General Ye Ting’s Former Residence, the Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum, the Giant Panda Pavilion, the Macao University of Tourism (UTM), the Lin Zexu Memorial Museum, the Dom Pedro V Theatre, and several government plots earmarked for future public projects, as well as the ongoing Macau International Airport Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal project and another ongoing project to build the University of Macau’s (UM) new campus in Hengqin. Moreover, Xia also inspected Macau’s coastal waters on a boat trip, Sam said.
Sam said that during his six-day investigation and research tour, Xia gave important instructions for the local government covering areas such as Macau’s appropriate economic diversification, Hengqin’s development, cultural heritage preservation and inheritance, and urban renewal, as well as plans and projects to use Macau’s coastal waters.
Sam underlined that the local government will now advance its administration and governance with the aim of ensuring the full implementation of the guidance and instructions given by Xia during his six-day inspection visit by placing special emphasis on seven major aspects.
7 major aspects
First, Sam said, the government must advance and accelerate its ongoing campaign to appropriately diversify Macau’s economy, which, he stressed, is an urgent matter that cannot be delayed. Sam acknowledged that the current predicament where the local economy is heavily reliant on a limited number of industries has still not been improved, while Macau’s tourism and gaming industries are also facing fiercer competition from neighbouring countries and regions.
Sam acknowledged that the government’s source of its revenues is heavily reliant on gaming tax.
Second, Sam said, the local government will unite the city’s business communities in continuing to uphold the good tradition of loving the country and Macau and in “daring to struggle” against external pressures.
Third, Sam said, his government will accelerate Hengqin’s development, which aims to advance Macau’s appropriate economic diversification campaign, adding that the local government will unite Macau’s civil society in always considering Hengqin’s development as a task that all civil society members should also undertake.
Fourth, Sam said, Macau must leverage its unique advantages to expand openness and play a greater role on the international stage, adding that the local government will explore key markets such as Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries as well as emerging markets in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Fifth, Sam pledged that his government will advance its four large-scale projects aiming to inject new impetus into Macau’s development for the long term laid out by his 2025 Policy Address.
The four projects comprise the Macau International Integrated Tourism and Cultural Zone, the Macau Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park, the Macau International Aviation Hub for the Pearl River West Bank, and the Macau-Hengqin International University City.
Sixth, Sam said, the local government will advance its work to ensure that local patriotic community associations will continue their ongoing efforts to strengthen their organisational development by engaging in reform and innovation.
Seventh, Sam said, his government will continue to strengthen its support for young local people’s personal development in various aspects.
Visiting Portugal & Spain
Meanwhile, Sam also said that a joint delegation of the government and local business representatives will not only visit Portugal but also Spain in July with the aim of enabling Macau to also explore markets in Spanish-speaking countries in addition to those in Portuguese-speaking countries.
Sam also said that Xia knows Macau very well, pointing out that, for instance, he is aware that nowadays many visitors to Macau spend only a little money here, which has become a new challenge to the development of the city’s tourism industry.
Sam also underlined the local government’s policy of welcoming investments and talents from all over the world.
According to Sam, Xia also required Macau to develop its coastal waters in a way that ensures the environmental protection of the Pearl River Delta, while meeting Macau’s long-term development needs.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai speaks during yesterday’s press conference at Government Headquarters in Nam Van about the six-day investigation and research tour of Macau by State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong, who returned to the mainland early yesterday afternoon via the Barrier Gate border checkpoint. – Photo: Tony Wong
