The State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) released a statement on its WeChat account yesterday evening praising Macau’s “brilliant” achievements over the past 25 years since its return to the motherland, believing that the new and sixth-term chief executive who will be elected later this year and his or her government, based on the solid foundations laid over the past 25 years, will “definitely be able to continued to write a splendid chapter” of the successful implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle with Macau characteristics.
The HKMAO statement was issued shortly before 7 p.m. yesterday, which came after the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) issued a statement at 5:30 p.m. announcing that Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has decided not to seek re-election in the upcoming election for the sixth-term chief executive as his health “has still not been fully recovered”.
The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) was established on December 20, 1999.
The HKMAO statement noted that the election of the Chief Executive Election Committee has recently been held, and the chief executive candidacy nomination period will start on Thursday August 29. Looking back on Macau’s “extraordinary” journey over the past 25 years since its return to the motherland, the statement praised the MSAR’s “brilliant” achievements in the development of various causes, as well as the MSAR government’s unremitting efforts in leading all sectors of civil society to promote the steady and enduring implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
The statement said that President Xi Jinping has highly praised the joint efforts of the MSAR government and all sectors of civil society for creating the best development in Macau’s history and “writing a splendid chapter” of the successful implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle with Macau characteristics since Macau’s return to the motherland, with the strong support of the central government and the mainland.
The statement said that since Macau’s return to the motherland, the “One Country, Two Systems” principle has been fully and accurately implemented, the constitutional order has been firmly established, and the governance system has been continuously improved.
The statement said that Macau has complied with the correct relationship between the central authorities’ overall jurisdiction over the MSAR and the MSAR’s high degree of autonomy and effectively safeguarded the constitutional order established by the Constitution and the MSAR Basic Law.
The statement noted that Macau enacted its law on safeguarding national security in 2009 based on the Article 23 requirement of the MSAR Basic Law, after which Macau has enacted amendments to its national security law – which took effect in May last year – in compliance with the central government’s holistic approach to national security.
The statement said that since Macau’s return to the motherland, its economy has improved in leaps and bounds and better integrated into the nation’s overall development.
The statement said that the MSAR has been continuously enhancing its world-class tourism and leisure resort facilities, while it has basically gained achievements in appropriately diversifying its economy. The statement said that Macau’s gross domestic product (GDP) recorded an average annual growth of 11 percent between 2000 and 2019, ranking among the top in developed economies. After the three-year COVID-19 pandemic, Macau’s GDP recorded a growth of 80.5 percent last year. Macau’s GDP per capita increased from US$15,000 in 1999 to US$69,000 in 2023, the statement said.
The statement said that since Macau’s return to the motherland, residents’ living standards have continuously improved, and it has been constantly making new achievements in the development of various causes in civil society.
The statement said that the MSAR government has implemented 15-years of free education while the city’s higher education sector has been rapidly developing.
Macau’s primary healthcare system has been rated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an exemplar in the Pacific region, the statement said, adding that the MSAR government has implemented a string of measures favourable to the population’s well-being for many years such as its cash sharing programme.
Macau has been maintaining social harmony and stability where its crime rate is very low, being one of the world’s safest cities, the statement said.
The statement also underlined the MSAR government’s achievements in leading civil society to successfully tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the three-year pandemic, the local government rolled out a string of measures aiming to relieve residents and businesses’ financial hardships resulting from the adverse impact of the pandemic on the local economy, the statement said.
The statement also praised the MSAR government for rolling out effective measures to improve the population’s well-being in various fields such as housing, healthcare and the protection of senior citizens’ retirement.
The statement listed a string of examples such as the completion of the city’s first rental residential building for senior citizens, the large Macao Union Hospital in Cotai, and the Public Health Building located next to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre.
The statement also acknowledged the MSAR government’s efforts in safeguarding national security and consolidating the political foundation based on the “Loving the Country and Loving Macau” principle.
In addition to amendments to its national security law, the statement said, Macau has also enacted amendments to its Chief Executive Election Law, Legislative Assembly Election Law, and oath-taking law, ensuring that the MSAR’s ruling powers are firmly grasped by patriots.
The statement said that over the past 25 years, under the strong leadership of the central authorities, and with the effective leadership of all Macau’s chief executives in conjunction with the efforts by all sectors of civil society, Macau has laid solid foundations enabling it to achieve better development for the future.
This file photo taken from the Chapel of Our Lady of Penha in 2021 shows Macau’s cityscape. – Photo: Tony Wong
