In an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai has underlined that the local government has drawn up Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan in close alignment with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, pledging its commitment to accomplishing the tasks and goals listed in the 3rd Five-Year Plan as scheduled.
The Macau government announced and published the final version of the 3rd Five-Year Plan on Tuesday.
The Macao Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) 3rd Five-Year Plan, officially known as the 3rd Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, covers the period between 2026 and 2030.
In the interview, which was conducted in Macau recently and broadcast on CCTV Channel 13 yesterday, Sam noted that the drafting of the 3rd Five-Year Plan is an important practice in upholding and improving Macau’s executive-led governance and modernising the MSAR’s governance system and capability.
Sam said that the drafting of the 3rd Five-Year Plan highlighted Macau’s executive-led governance system, as there was close coordination between the executive, legislative, and judicial organs throughout the plan’s drafting process. He also said that the plan has been drawn up in line with the institutional advantage of “One Country, Two Systems,” because of which it includes the tasks and goals of ensuring Macau’s roles assigned by the nation as a “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” plus an international talent hub, in combination with Macau’s unique advantages, he said.
The Macau government’s “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” concept refers to Macau developing itself into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and an exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as its mainstream and the co-existence of different cultures.
Adhering to the principle of serving the country’s needs with Macau’s strengths, Sam underlined the local government’s commitment to closely aligning with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, advancing Macau’s high-quality development across all fronts, and integrating itself into and making greater contributions to the nation’s overall development.
2 types of alignment
Sam also said that an overarching principle of the 3rd Five-Year Plan is two types of alignment. The first alignment consists of the requirements for Macau set out in the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, and the nation’s development planning in general.
Concerning the second alignment, Sam said that as a member of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan also needs to align with the respective development plans of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong.
The 11-member GBA consists of nine cities in Guangdong Province and the nation’s two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Residents’ well-being the ultimate goal
Sam underscored the local government’s commitment to taking residents’ well-being as the ultimate goal of its governance. Over the next five years, Sam said, the local government will unite all segments of civil society to ensure the implementation of the 3rd Five-Year Plan, creating a new landscape for high-quality implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle with Macau characteristics.
Sam reaffirmed the local government’s efforts to enhance residents’ sense of happiness, fulfilment, and security.
Meanwhile, Sam also elaborated on Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan during an interview with People’s Daily, which was published in its overseas edition yesterday.
Optimal choice for Macau
Sam underlined that closely aligning Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan is not only a necessary move to integrate into and serve national development, but also the optimal choice for Macau to seize development opportunities and leverage development momentum.
Sam pointed out that the 3rd Five-Year Plan has a dedicated section about advancing the development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. This section outlines various targeted indicators measuring achievements in the level of Macau-Hengqin integrated development, he noted.
Sam also underlined the local government’s commitment to advancing Macau’s appropriate economic diversification with its four future large-scale projects and a government guidance fund as key drivers. Sam said that the government will leverage market forces and enterprise-based initiatives with the aim of advancing its 1+4 appropriate economic diversification.
The local government’s 1+4 model aims to consolidate and diversify the development of the city’s tourism and leisure industry—i.e., the “1” element—while putting special emphasis on promoting the development of four new key industries—i.e., the “+4” elements—namely 1) big health, mainly driven by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), 2) modern finance, 3) high-tech, and 4) MICE and commerce, as well as culture and sport.
Sam also said that advancing urban renewal and old district revitalisation is also a key task listed by the 3rd Five-Year Plan because this is a vital issue concerning Macau’s urban image, safety, and resilience. It serves as a key measure to foster new drivers of economic growth, he said.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai speaks during an interview with state broadcaster CCTV, which was broadcast on CCTV Channel 13 yesterday. – Video grab courtesy of CCTV
