Xi in Macau praises his 'one country, two systems' model
The Chinese president is on a three-day visit to the former Portuguese colony 25 years after its return to Chinese sovereignty, providing him with an opportunity to send messages to Hong Kong as well, and stress the potential of the Greater Bay Area. The stop on Hengqin Island is significant, since it is slated to help Macau diversify its economy centred on casinos and gambling (source of 80 per cent of local tax revenue).
Macau (AsiaNews) – Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Macau on a three-day visit to mark the 25th anniversary of the former Portuguese colony’s return to Chinese sovereignty. In an address, he called for Macau to be more open and inclusive to "recruit talent from all over the world" and "show greater achievements on the international stage."
The celebrations ended today with the inauguration of the city’s new government under Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, a former president of the Court of Final Appeal of Macau; a native of Guangdong, he was the only candidate in last October’s election, picked by a strictly pro-Beijing 400-member election committee.
During his visit, Xi cited Macau as an example of the "One Country, Two Systems" model, like the one that exists in Hong Kong, which was effectively hollowed out by years of repression.
“Macau is a pearl in the nation’s palm, and I have always kept in my thoughts its development and the welfare of all its people,” Xi said.
In fact, Macau continues to be known around the world mainly for its casinos, which make up more than 80 per cent of government revenue.
The former Portuguese colony is the only place in China where gambling is allowed and has long since surpassed Las Vegas as the world's leading casino hub, fuelled by two decades of spending by Chinese visitors.
On this occasion, Xi Jinping urged the local government to accelerate the "diversification" of the city’s economic activities, linking them to China's national development strategies, including the Greater Bay Area, an ambitious economic plan to connect several cities in southern China, including the nearby financial hubs of Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
“At present the overall situation in Macau is stable, but the internal and external environment is undergoing profound changes," Xi said. “Efforts should be made to promote moderate economic diversification... focus on cultivating new industries with international competitiveness.”
For this reason, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua focused on Xi's visit to the Macau University of Science and Technology, where he was "briefed about the development of two key state-level laboratories" concerning Chinese medicine and astronomy.
The president also visited the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin Island, talking to residents and those responsible for planning, construction, management and services, Xinhua reported.
Hengqin Island, a strip of land adjacent to Macau and three times its size, has been partly leased by Beijing to Macau to increase land supply for non-gaming development.
This was Xi's third trip to Macau as president. His last visit took place in 2019, when anti-government protests were shaking Hong Kong, to which he responded with a harsh crackdown on the former British colony.
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21/06/2021 09:43
