Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping mapped out a direction for Macao to overcome the current financial crisis and push for future development during his visit to the special administrative region (SAR) Saturday.

Delivering a keynote speech at a welcoming banquet at the Macao SAR Government Headquarters, Xi said the purpose of his visit to Macao is to inspire local people to tide over the current global financial crisis.

The central government pays great attention to the crisis' impact on the SAR, and will render full support to Macao, he said.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the welcoming banquet held by the government of Macao Special Administrative Region in Macao, south China, Jan. 10, 2009. Xi Jinping arrived in Macao on Saturday for a two-day inspection tour. [Ma Zhancheng/Xinhua]

Xi, who started the two-day inspection of Macao on Saturday morning, extended greetings and best wishes to all Macao citizens on behalf of President Hu Jintao and the central government.

"We must enhance our confidence and be not afraid of the current difficulty," Xi said, "I'm sure Macao will successfully tide over this wave on consolidated foundation."

He said the Macao SAR government should take further economic stimulus measures to stabilize the financial sector, assist enterprises, expand the job market and strive for new growth areas of the economy.

Xi said that to achieve an all-round, coordinated and sustainable economic growth, Macao should take a path of diversified development appropriately.

He called on the Macao society to maintain social harmony and stability amid the global financial crisis to ensure the economic development and a happy life for the people.

Xi said Macao has achieved economic development and improvement of the livelihood and social stability under the leadership of Macao SAR Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah and the SAR government since its return to the motherland.

He noted that new progress had been achieved in Macao in 2008 when the Macao SAR properly handled the constitutional development and took effective measures to cope with the impact of global financial crisis.

"All the facts have proved the correctness of the principle of 'One Country, Two Systems', 'Macao people administering Macao' with a high degree of autonomy," Xi said, adding: "Macao people are fully capable of administering and building Macao."

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2009)