Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai said yesterday that “multilateralism is the inevitable choice for addressing the difficult challenges facing the world.”
Sam made the pragmatic remarks while addressing the opening ceremony of the 18th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention at The Venetian Macao in Cotai yesterday morning.
In his speech, Sam said that the achievements made by Macau since its return to the motherland in 1999 fully demonstrate the strong vitality and superiority of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
“A prosperous, safe and stable Macau will provide overseas Chinese entrepreneurs with a market space of greater potential and a broader international stage,” Sam said.
He invited Chinese entrepreneurs from around the world to deepen their understanding of Macau, enhance mutual friendship, strengthen pragmatic cooperation, invest in Macau and Hengqin, invest in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), invest in the Chinese mainland, invest in the future, share new development opportunities and jointly create a new era of cooperation.
Sam also said that Chinese entrepreneurs are an important force in promoting world peace and development. The vast number of Chinese entrepreneurs have not only driven the prosperity and development of the economies of the countries and regions in which they operate, but have also become disseminators of outstanding Chinese culture, contributors to charitable and public welfare causes, and ties and bridges connecting China with the world.
Sam underlined that since its inception, the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention has continued to expand in scale. “As the most influential exchange platform for Chinese entrepreneurs worldwide, it has made positive contributions to promoting win-win economic cooperation, mutual learning between cultures, and people-to-people connectivity,” Sam said.
He also said that economic globalisation is an irreversible historical trend, and multilateralism is the inevitable choice for addressing the difficult challenges facing the world. “Only by strengthening the concept of a ‘community’ and working together can certainty be found amid uncertainty and new prospects be created amid change,” he said. The chief executive also said that Chinese entrepreneurs worldwide are inherently a community with a shared future, connected by blood and sharing weal and woe. They are an important force in linking China and the rest of the world and integrating East and West. Only by building consensus and joining hands in development can they achieve mutual success, mutual benefit and win-win results, and jointly safeguard a world economic order that is equal, open, diverse and stable, he added.
‘Best period of development in its history’
Sam pointed out that since Macau’s return to the motherland, under the strong leadership and vigorous support of the Central People’s Government, it has enjoyed political stability, social harmony, rapid economic development, continuous improvement in people’s livelihoods, and residents living and working in peace and contentment. It has ushered in the best period of development in its history and achieved unprecedented successes. Under the safeguards of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle and the Basic Law, Macau enjoys the status of a free port and a separate customs territory, implements a simple and low-tax system, and has an extensive international market network.
Sam also stressed that Macau serves as China’s “precise liaison” with Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs).
“Macau is making every effort to promote appropriate economic diversification, implementing the ‘1+4’ appropriate economic diversification strategy. While optimising, refining and strengthening the comprehensive tourism and leisure industry, it is developing four key industries: traditional Chinese medicine and big health, modern finance, high and new technology, and convention, exhibition, trade and cultural sports. It is accelerating its integration into and service of the overall national development, promoting appropriate economic diversification, high-quality and sustainable development in Macau, Sam stressed.
Sam also noted that in September 2021, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin was officially launched. This, he underlined, is a major decision personally planned, deployed and promoted by President Xi Jinping, with the original intention of creating conditions for Macau’s appropriate economic diversification. The In-Depth Cooperation Zone is creating a business and living environment that aligns with Macau’s, and is committed to becoming a new “highland” for promoting the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), he said. Macau sincerely welcomes Chinese entrepreneur friends from around the world to invest, start businesses and develop in the vibrant land of “Macau + Hengqin”, and jointly create new miracles of development, he said.
Sam Hou Fai also said that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has concluded with flying colours, where General Secretary Xi delivered an important speech.
“The session, in light of the international and domestic situation, clearly defined the guiding principles and main objectives for China’s economic and social development during the ‘15th Five-Year Plan’ period, and drew a grand blueprint for development in the next five years,” Sam said, adding that, “looking at the present, the Chinese economy continues to demonstrate strong resilience and vitality, with the supporting conditions and basic trend for long-term improvement unchanged.”
Sam also said that its comprehensive institutional advantages, market scale advantages, industrial system advantages and human resource advantages are even more prominent.
‘An important engine & stabiliser of global economic growth’
“China has always been an important engine and stabiliser of global economic growth,” Sam said, stressing that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are in full swing, with unlimited potential. Looking to the future, China will adopt an even more open posture to inject new momentum and create new opportunities for global development.
As one of the four central cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and an important bridgehead for the country’s high-level opening up to the outside world, Macau is bound to play a greater role and demonstrate greater achievements on the international stage,” Sam concluded.
N.B. Text in the Chinese language provided by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS), translation arranged and edited, as well as subheadings added by the Post
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai addresses the 18th World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention during its opening ceremony at the Venetian Macao in Cotai yesterday. – Photo: GCS
