China’s Xi swears in new Macau chief, urges collaboration with Portuguese-speaking nations

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday administered the oath of office to Sam Hou Fai, the new chief executive of Macau, as the autonomous region celebrated the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese governance.

Macau is the “only place in the world that uses Chinese and Portuguese as official languages,” Xi remarked during the anniversary event marking its return to Beijing’s administration.

He emphasized that Macau should "further open up, strengthen comprehensive collaborations with Portuguese-speaking countries, be actively involved in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative’s high-quality development, and expand the circle of friends internationally."

Located in southern China, Macau spans just 33.3 square kilometers (12.9 square miles). It was under Portuguese rule for 442 years until 1999, when it was handed back to Beijing.

“[Macau] should serve as an important bridgehead to facilitate the country’s high-level opening up," Xi stated, as reported by South China Morning Post.

- From judiciary to top administration

A former judge, Sam, 62, was elected in October with a commanding majority of 394 votes out of 398 valid ballots.

The chief executive of Macau serves a five-year term and may seek reelection once.

Succeeding Ho Iat-seng, Sam is the first Macau chief executive born in mainland China and will oversee the region’s sixth-term administration.

Over a welcome dinner for the new administration on Thursday night, Xi praised Macau’s progress in economic diversification, saying, “Over the past five years, Macau has made new progress in appropriate economic diversification.”

Xi, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, concluded his three-day official visit to Macau on Friday.

Home to approximately 713,000 residents, Macau is globally recognized as a hub for gambling and casinos – the only region under Chinese governance where such activities are permitted. Its GDP has soared from $6.4 billion in 1999 to $47 billion today.

Although hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Macau welcomed nearly 29 million tourists in the first 10 months of this year.

Xi urged residents to “embrace greater openness, inclusiveness, and solidarity, and work to attract the best minds to jointly build a better Macao.”

He added: “The region could leverage the institutional strengths of ‘one country, two systems’ to break new ground in its development.”

“Macau needs to demonstrate stronger resolve and greater courage in reform and innovation,” Xi said.