Chief Executive affirms support for local media role

The Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, yesterday pledged to support local media during a lunch with representatives of English and Portuguese-language media.

In his speech, Chui said that local media that report in English and Portuguese are an element of Macau’s multicultural environment, and therefore crucial in promoting further exchanges between Eastern and Western cultures.

Chui said the government paid great attention to the media’s opinions and suggestions regarding the government’s work tasks.

The CE said that the government “strictly upheld the principles of the freedom of the press and the freedom to publish.” He also reviewed Macau’s general economic development in 2018, saying the economy had remained stable with sound public finances, a high local employment rate, and improvement in terms of the overall well-being of Macau’s people.

Chui went on to acknowledge that 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the 20th anniversary of the MSAR, as well as the year his successor would be elected to the role of Chief Executive.

Chui said the Government would strive to ensure the two anniversaries were celebrated successfully through various activities, and also to ensure a smooth election process and transition to the next administration.

The Chief Executive had also hosted a lunch on Monday for representatives of local Chinese-language media. He mentioned that advances in technology had helped diversify the public’s sources of information. He added the government would always help the local media to address the challenges created by new media technology.