Returning to Macau after a four-day work visit to Beijing, the Chief Executive (CE), Ho Iat Seng, said in a press briefing at the Macau International Airport that national leaders have voiced their support for Macau’s plans for economic diversification.
Speaking to the media about the goals and the achievements of his visit to Beijing, Ho said that he had reported to president Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang regarding Macau’s current political, social, and economic development in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, in limiting visitor numbers, has battered the local economy.
Ho noted that the national leaders had made clear “the problem of over-reliance on a single industry,” saying the Central government would, as always, “give its strongest support for Macau to diversify its economy adequately.”
During meetings in Beijing, the same leaders gave the green light to the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) government’s policy plan for 2022.
While in Beijing, the CE also held meetings with officials of Central government departments on the development of the Guangdong-Macau Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. This meeting was intended to further work on several topics, seeking the swift resolution of problems that are obstructing the project.
No deal yet on HK border reopening
On the topic of the partial resumption of quarantine-free travel between Macau and Hong Kong, the CE said that this is yet to be implemented, once again remarking that the arrangement requires approval from the Central government.
Ho reaffirmed that once the arrangements for quarantine-free travel between the mainland and Hong Kong are finalized, Macau would then be in a position to adopt similar measures, using the same standards and conditions negotiated between Hong Kong and the mainland.
A tentative timeline for the implementation of this policy had been previously established as a result of the 2021 Hong Kong legislative election.
As the Times previously reported, a source close to the administrative process in the neighboring region said that the easing on the border restrictions to the mainland would take place after the conclusion of the election process, that is, after December 19, 2021.
Islands Hospital on CE agenda in Beijing
Cooperation between Macau and Beijing on the management and operation of the Islands District Medical Complex (Islands Hospital) was also a topic on the agenda during the CE’s visit to the capital.
Ho met with Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) officials to exchange views on ways to strengthen cooperation on the project.
Although no concrete measures or decisions were announced following the meeting, the CE said that it “increased mutual understanding between the two sides, and would be the basis for furthering cooperation.”
Ho highlighted the fact that the future complex will not just serve the medical needs of the local population, but would also accelerate the local development of a “big health” industry.
