People of Macao, now masters of their fate after Macao's return to China in 1999, have created miracles and made the tiny city an international attraction, said a Chinese senior official in a recent interview with reporters.
Bai Zhijian, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), said that the past five years have witnessed an overall economic and social development in this city, which has put on a new look and where people live and work in peace and contentment.
Official statistics show that Macao's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 30 percent from 49 billion patacas (US$6.1 billion) in 1999, when Macao returned to the motherland, to 63.37 billion patacas (US$7.9 billion) last year, and the per capita GDP was up 24 percent from US$14,300 to US$17,800.
Bai attributed the great change to the excellent work done by the SAR government headed by Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah, the SAR's successful implementation of the Basic Law and a support from the central government and people of the whole country.
Soon after Macao's return to the motherland, the SAR government placed priority on the development and designated the pillar industries of gaming and tourism, while promoting service trade and other industries as supplements.
The government has employed practical measures, which included increasing investments in public transport facilities, exempting and cutting taxes and offering discount loans to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, opening gaming business to outside investment and developing off-shore business.
Bai recalled that the SAR government has formulated 190 administrative laws and regulations to standardize the government operation. The legislation committee worked out 76 articles to guide and supervise the whole society. Judicatory departments in Macao enjoy independent jurisdiction and final judgment according to law.
"All these have formed an effective system, under which administrative, legislation and judicatory departments play their roles independently and responsibly. The SAR government has enjoyed a heartfelt support from local citizens," said the official.
Bai said that the Basic Law is a national law and a constitutional law for Macao to guarantee its steady development.
Bai has highly commended Edmund Ho Hau Wah on leading the SAR government to correctly handle the relations between "one country" and "two systems", administer Macao under the guidance of the Basic Law, and make decisions in line with people's interests.
Bai said, the majority people of Macao love the motherland as well as Macao. Although they come from different ethnic groups and circles, they are all devoted to their hometown.
Bai said that the central government has fully supported Macao's chief executive and his administration, and has not intervened in affairs under the SAR government's administrative sphere.
Bai is convinced of Macao's future stressing that the SAR should persist in the practices of the "one country, two systems" policy abiding by the Basic Law, strengthen its capacity of administration and pay attention to properly addressing problems emerging along with the fast development of the SAR.
(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2004)
