Macao Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah said the policy of "one country, two systems" has proved very successful in the special administrative region (SAR) over the past five years.

In an interview, Ho praised the policy for a high degree of autonomy and the support provided by central government.

He added that Macao's economy is developing steadily and its people are living a happy and prosperous life.

The local government estimates that GDP growth is expected to hit 20 percent there this year.

In order to mark the fifth anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, a photo exhibition called "Brilliant Progress" opened on Monday.

Kong Fanzhuang, head of the Liaison Office's Department of Publicity and Culture, said at the exhibition's opening that the SAR government and residents have made brilliant achievements in economic and social progress in the last five years.

The exhibition had toured Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing before it came to its last stop in Macao.

(CRI, Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2004)