Chief Executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai intends to use his first major overseas trip since taking office to assert that Macau, a former Portuguese colony, will act as a global “bridgehead” for China and intensify economic and political outreach across Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday before leaving for a 10-day tour of Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Belgium, the CE said the visit is designed to “show to the international community the successful implementation of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ while also promoting development opportunities in Macau and Hengqin.”
In his one year and five months in office, Sam hopes to “fully leverage Macau’s unique advantages of being ‘backed by the motherland and connected to the world.’” He said that the visit will act “as a starting point to continue to deepen practical cooperation with European countries across various fields, including economics, trade, tourism, culture, and science and technology.”
Sam noted that the itinerary for his European trip includes high-level meetings with heads of state, presidents, prime ministers, and senior ministers, covering the full spectrum of executive, legislative, and judicial leadership in host countries.
In Spain, the SAR government said it will hold tourism promotion events and economic cooperation forums aimed at diversifying Macau’s visitor markets and facilitating business matching with European partners. Sam added that activities will also be held to expand Macau’s role as a platform for cooperation with Spanish-speaking countries.
In Brussels, Sam said he will meet economic officials and senior representatives from EU departments to “further strengthen our dialogue and cooperation.” In Geneva, he plans to meet the deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization to reinforce Macau’s ties with the multilateral trade body.
On future expansion, the CE indicated that similar delegations could soon be sent farther afield.
“Next, I will look into whether we can arrange a plan in the second half of this year to start visiting Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and South Korea,” he said. “We can also make contact with Southeast Asian and other countries in this regard, so we are considering a coordinated approach.”
Sam also mentioned that Macau will “plan for the future” with countries such as Brazil and Mexico, adding, “not only will I lead a delegation of Macau entrepreneurs, but we will also use this opportunity to adopt this new model, combining the approaches of Hengqin and the Chinese mainland to plan our expansion together.”
Third Five-Year Plan ‘progressing smoothly’
When asked by the media about the progress of the Macau SAR’s “Third Five-Year Plan” and the timetable for public consultation, the CE emphasized that the formulation of the plan is an important task for the current government and is “progressing smoothly.” However, he added that, to ensure the quality of the plan, the consultation work is expected to be postponed until May.
Sam also said he has communicated with Legislative Assembly President Andre Cheong and that the basic goal is to maintain the policy of holding three sessions a year.
This year, however, the schedule will be adjusted. The consensus, he said, is that the administration can review its policies once every six months by responding to questions from members of the Legislative Assembly, so that the public can be informed about the administration’s performance every six months.
He confirmed that this year’s session, traditionally held in April, will be postponed to mid-to-late June, though the overall policy of three annual meetings will remain.
The adjustment, the CE said, is part of an effort “to improve the system” and allow the administration to review its work every six months, ensuring better alignment with fast-shifting domestic and international conditions. He added that the goal is to keep lines of communication open between the executive and legislators while maintaining the principle of “executive-led” governance.
Gov’t to start successor selection process: CE
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai confirmed that Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai has resigned for personal reasons, pledging to begin the process of selecting a successor in due course.
Sam said Tai, who served for one year and five months, had performed his duties diligently and earned full recognition from the government. He added that he had held in-depth discussions with Tai, supports his decision to step down, and will respect his request for privacy by not disclosing further details.
The Chief Executive said the government will launch the search for a suitable candidate, with an appointment to be submitted to the Central Government in accordance with the Basic Law and relevant procedures before being announced publicly.
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