The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local government jointly held a symposium on external legal affairs on Friday, seeking new opportunities for legal development and exchanges.
The symposium themed “New Achievements, New Opportunities, New Actions: Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Macau’s Return to the Motherland” was attended by some 370 officials, scholars, students, and association representatives.
Good work in the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) external legal affairs is important to building the country’s foreign-related rule of law and essential to Macau’s law-based governance, said Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Miao Deyu. He added that it is significant for ensuring the steady and long-term development of “One Country, Two Systems” and the MSAR’s long-term stability.
United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares said via video link that the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macau and its subsequent implementation have vividly demonstrated how countries can hold peaceful negotiations with such tools as international law, and offered innovative and pragmatic options for resolving various complex and historic issues.
At the symposium, Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon stressed that the MSAR will firmly guard the bottom line of national security and promote the sustainable development of Maca’s economy and society. In addition, the MSAR will use its advantages to better serve the country’s overall development, and carry out exchanges and cooperation with foreign countries in a multichannel manner, said Cheong said.
Macau-based Foreign Ministry Commissioner Liu Xianfa also attended the symposium.
– Xinhua, MPD
Participants in a symposium on external legal affairs hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the local government in Macau pose for a group photo on Friday, including Assistant Foreign Minister Miao Deyu (front, fifth from right), Macau-based Foreign Ministry Commissioner Liu Xianfa (front, sixth from right), and MSAR Government Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon (front, fourth from right). – Xinhua
