Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng stressed further economic recovery and diversification in his two-hour 2024 Policy Address delivered in the hemicycle of the local legislature yesterday afternoon.
Macau has enjoyed rapid economic recovery this year after the COVID-19 pandemic, achieved a stable and harmonious overall social situation, and steadily progressed on various other fronts, Ho said. However, he acknowledged that Macau has also been affected in the outgoing year by unbalanced recovery and development, as well as difficulties faced by certain industries, enterprises and residents due to the still lingering impact of the pandemic which hit Macau between early 2020 and late last year.
Looking to 2024, Ho said the the local government will focus on consolidating economic recovery, working together on the appropriate diversification of the local economy, optimising people’s livelihoods, and promoting overall development.
The local government will compile an evaluation index system on Macau’s economic diversification in accordance with the recently released development programme for the special administrative region’s appropriate economic diversification, Ho said.
Efforts will be made to optimise and help grow Macau’s tourism and leisure industry, intensify tourism promotion campaigns, deepen cross-sectoral integration with industries such as fine dining, sport, and conventions and exhibitions, put in place new gaming regulations, actively promote the development of major industries such as big health, modern finance, conventions and exhibitions, as well as culture and sport, and continuously optimise plans to attract qualified human resources, Ho said in the address.
He also said the local government will work to help all civil servants and walks of life in Macau to strengthen their awareness of safeguarding national security, increase their ability to do so and ensure the results, vowing to firmly safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, security and development interests, resolutely prevent and contain external forces’ interference in the internal affairs of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), and combat any forces using Macau to undermine national security.
The government will pragmatically progress with supporting legislation on safeguarding national security, persevere in implementing and improving relevant legal systems and enforcement mechanisms, fully support the advisors to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR to perform their duties in accordance with the law, and step up publicity and education on love for the country and for Macau.
Ho also stressed the need to complete the election of the sixth chief executive of the MSAR in a fair, just and clean manner in accordance with the MSAR Basic Law and Appendix I and the newly revised law for electing the chief executive.
The MSAR government will speed up advancing the building of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, ensure a satisfactory report around the third founding anniversary of the zone next September, continue deepening the linkage of legal rules and mechanisms between Macau and Hengqin, further facilitate cross-border flow of personnel, goods, capital and information, and support and encourage Macau residents to work and live in Hengqin. – Xinhua, MPD
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng delivers his 2024 Policy Address in the hemicycle of the Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday afternoon. – Photo: GCS
