AL: Policy Address | Leong promises deeper economic ties with Guangdong

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong said during the Legislative Assembly (AL) Policy Address on Friday that he wants greater ties with the mainland’s Guangdong Province to allow locals to work or live there. To this end, he is promising to open dialogue with mainland officials in 2018.

The comments were made on Friday, the second day of his 2018 Policy Address, during which he faced questions from lawmakers on the state and future of the economy.

One matter raised by lawmakers concerned the role of the Macau SAR in the Greater Bay Area initiative, and how this will require closer ties with neighboring Guangdong Province.

Secretary Leong said that the government will launch a website next year that will record population and investment changes in the cities that will comprise the Greater Bay Area.

But he also wants to open dialogue with Guangdong officials to discuss how Macau locals could live and work in the region, and how local SMEs could expand their business there.

“We must look at the big picture here,” said Leong as cited by public broadcaster TDM. “We must fully understand what our regional partners need and what we’re good at and could provide.”

“We have to attract foreign investors not only with tax benefits, but also in medical and education and of course we have to come up ways to allow our Macau residents to start their businesses, work or live in the mainland. This is something we have to work on,” he explained.

Other topics raised by lawmakers during Friday’s session included the much-delayed trade union law and the collective bargaining law, as well as government initiatives to prioritize the promotion of Macau locals at the six gaming operators.

One of the stated goals in the city’s Five-Year Development Plan was to have 85 percent of casino upper and middle management positions staffed by local residents. According to TDM, lawmaker Ella Lei wants to see that proportion increased to 90 percent.

“I backed the idea of having [85] percent locals working in the mid-to-high-level positions in casinos,” she said, “but I truly think you all can take a more active stance to boost this figure up to 90 percent in the future.”

Meanwhile, lawmaker Ho Ion Sang called on the government to increase the Social Security Fund, drawing on improved revenues in the gaming sector this year.