CE attends NPC meeting in Beijing | Cruises between Macau and Guangdong to start this year

Chui Sai On shakes hands with the State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, Guo Shengkun (right), in Beijing.

Chief Executive (CE) Chui Sai On has said that the government is confident that its proposed scheme to enable recreational boats to travel between Macau and Guangdong Province would be completed before the end of 2016.
Chui’s comments were made in Beijing during a meeting with the Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Hu Chunhua, and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Zhu Xiaodan, according to a statement from the Government Information Bureau (GCS). The meeting is part of a four-day program as the MSAR CE visits the city to attend the opening ceremony of the fourth session of the 12th National People’s Congress (NPC).
The project was presented in early November last year during a tour organized by the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) to the harbor, located in Coloane.
At the time, operations were expected to commence before the end of 2015, but since then they have been postponed without a clear justification.
One of the other topics addressed during the meeting was the recently demarcated 85-square-kilometer area of maritime waters to be administrated by Macau.
That, according to the CE, “would be a driving force for greater cooperation between Guangdong and Macau.”
Reviewing the achievements of the two regions’ bilateral cooperation last year, Chui stated that both governments had continued working toward the mid-and
long-term development goals outlined in the Framework Agreement onCooperation between Guang- dong and Macau, as well as the goals set out within the Co-operation Joint Conference.
Over the past year, the MSAR has strived to boost ties with Hengqin, Nansha and Cuiheng, initiating several cooperation projects.
As part of his visit to Beijing to attend the NPC meeting, Chui met on Friday with the State Councilor and Minister of Public Security, Mr Guo Shengkun. The meeting resulted in an exchange of views on how to maintain Macau’s prosperity and strengthen bilateral ties.
Also on Friday, the CE met with the Minister of the General Administration of Customs, Yu Guangzhou. During that meeting, he stated, “Macau’s unique cultural heritage, tourism attractions and commercial links to Portuguese-speaking countries will help the city take a more prominent role in the development of the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative.”
Minister Yu mentioned that the next phase of work would include improving the legislation to ensure the enforcement of the rule of law along the coastal area between the mainland and Macau. That legislative document is expected to be endorsed this year and will serve as a foundation to draft further legislative cooperation between the two regions. RM