Bian Lixin, the recently appointed Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Chinas in the Macau Special Administrative Region, said yesterday that her office will fully carry out its concept of “diplomacy benefitting Macau” and align its work with the development of the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which was approved by the nation’s lawmakers last Thursday, and support the local government in formulating and implementing its 3rd Five-Year Plan, which will undergo a public consultation process next month.
“We will fully leverage our diplomatic resources to serve Macau’s high-quality development as well as its lasting prosperity and stability,” Bian said in a one-hour press briefing headlined “China’s Two Sessions”.
The well-prepared and presented briefing, which included an informal gathering, was attended by consuls-general, representatives from the Forum Macao member states, foreign chambers of commerce, the United Nations University Institute (UNUI) and Typhoon Committee Secretariat, as well as from Macau’s English- and Portuguese-language print and broadcasting media.
Bian, a former head of the ministry’s Personnel Department, succeeded Liu Xianfa at the helm of the commissioner’s office early this year. Liu concluded his five-year tenure in Macau on January 15, 2026 and has meanwhile been appointed the central authorities’ special representative on African affairs.
Her briefing consisted of three parts: I. Achievements of China’s Economic and Social Development during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period; II. Main Points of the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan; III. New Opportunities of Development for Macau.
She mentioned at the beginning of the third part of her briefing that “Macau is a pearl in the palm of the motherland” and that “President Xi Jinping has always cared for the development of Macau and the well-being of all its residents”.
She stressed that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, under the leadership and care of President Xi, with the great support of the central government and the mainland, Macau’s chief executive and government, uniting and leading all sectors of society, have fully implemented the “patriots governing Macau” principle, “upheld and improved the executive-led system, firmly safeguarded national security, accelerated appropriate economic diversification, and comprehensively improved governance efficiency”.
3 Macau-related tasks
Pertaining to Macau, Bian raised three tasks that the Commission will carrying out during the duration of the 15th Five-Year Plan, which was passed by the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the end of its annual session in Beijing. Concurrently, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) also held its annual session in the national capital.
“First, we will fully support the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) in accelerating its effort to become an important bridge for China’s high-standard opening-up”, Bian said, adding that the Commission will also promote the achievement of the chief executive’s fruitful results of his overseas visits, expand exchanges and practical cooperation with Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries, as well as in countries and Southeast Asia and elsewhere”.
The local government announced earlier this week that Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai will pay a working visit to Portugal and Spain on April 17-23.
Bian also said that the Commission “will support and assist the MSAR Government in successfully hosting the 13th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting, thereby contributing to the development of Macau as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure”.
“Second, we will make targeted and effective use of foreign-related resources, support the MSAR government in advancing major projects such as the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town and the establishment of China-Portuguese- and Spanish Speaking Countries Economic and Trade Service Centre, so as to help the MSAR accelerate the process of economic diversification”.
“Third, we will encourage the MSAR Government and Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin to speed up the implementation of preferential measures facilitating the cross-border travel of foreign nationals in Hengqin. Moreover, we will promote visa facilitation policies for foreign nationals with permanent residency in Macau travelling to the Chinese mainland, and support Macau to build an international hub for high-calibre talents.
Bian also stressed that “the 15th Five-Year Plan is not only China’s blueprint for development and a list of opportunities for the world, but also provides new opportunities and opens a new journey for Macau to achieve better and higher-quality development”.
She praised yesterday’s guests, who “are rooted in Macau and dedicated to its development”, as they “have played an important role and made contributions to expanding the MSAR’s external exchanges and cooperation”, as well as spread the word about the successful practice of “One Country, Two Systems”.
“You are not only witnesses to Macau’s development but also active participants and narrators of its success story. We hope that today’s briefing will help you better understand and grasp the spirit of the Two Sessions, enabling you to further leverage your roles to support Macau in seizing the opportunities presented by the country’s rapid development, thus contributing to Macau’s economic diversification”, she said during yesterday’s briefing, which was held at the Commission’s headquarters in Zape.
“Let us work together to embrace new opportunities with a more open attitude and drive new development with more pragmatic measures, to open up new prospects for the successful practice of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ with distinctive Macau features and write a new chapter in Macau’s high-quality development!”, she concluded her briefing.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commissioner Bian Lixin gives a briefing about the nation’s recently completed “Two Sessions”, at the headquarters of the Commission in Zape yesterday. The briefing was attended by diplomats, Forum Macao member states, foreign chambers of commerce, UNUI, print and broadcast media and other representatives. – Photo: MPDG
