As the Year of the Dragon approaches, Macao is setting its sights on substantial progress in economic diversification. Ho Iat Seng, Chief Executive of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), emphasized the need for proactive efforts to achieve this goal in his Chinese New Year message delivered on Friday.
"The past Year of the Rabbit witnessed Macao's recovery from the pandemic and robust development," Ho reflected. "In the new year, we will accelerate our pace to meet the phased goals outlined in the Master Plan of the Development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, prioritizing the growth of the Cooperation Zone."
Ho highlighted the importance of expanding external exchanges to better integrate Macao into the overall national development. "We will make more efforts to conduct external exchange so that Macao can integrate itself better into the overall national development," he added.
The Year of the Dragon also marks significant anniversaries for both Macao and China. Zheng Xincong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to China.
"We hope that Macao will better integrate into the country's overall development, leverage its unique advantages, and further promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations," Zheng expressed, wishing the residents of Macao continued well-being.
Liu Xianfa, commissioner of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macao SAR, commended the leadership of the SAR government over the past year. "The SAR's chief executive and government have united and led all sectors of society, achieving remarkable results in promoting the development of various undertakings," Liu remarked.
Looking ahead, Liu affirmed the commitment of the foreign affairs office to support Macao's governance according to law and to assist in expanding foreign exchanges and cooperation. "In the new year, we will fully support Macao to govern according to law, actively help the SAR expand foreign exchanges and cooperation, firmly shoulder the responsibility of 'diplomacy for the people' and 'diplomacy for Macao', and earnestly implement the purpose of serving the SAR," he stated.
As Macao embarks on a new lunar year, the focus on economic diversification and deeper integration with national development signals a proactive approach to future growth and prosperity.
Reference(s):
Macao eyes progress in economic diversification in Year of Dragon
cgtn.com
