EU: “One country, two systems” works well

The European Union (EU) issued its latest annual report on Macau, claiming that the “one country, two systems” principle “continued to work well” in 2016.

The report mentions that over the past year, “fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens continued to be respected” and local media “continued to express a broad range of views despite some concerns about increasing self-censorship.”

The Chief Executive being unopposed in the 2014 elections was criticized, with the report noting that this was the third time in a row that only one candidate stood for election as Chief Executive. Consequently, “the EU encourages the Macau authorities to consider ways to promote greater public involvement in the election of the Chief Executive, thereby enhancing the legitimacy of the position and contributing to good governance.”

The local economy’s resilience was praised, although it was noted that economic growth suffered from a marked decline in gaming revenue in the first two quarters.

In terms of policy, the key priority highlighted by the EU was “improving the lives of ordinary people, who face mounting living and housing costs.” Another issue is the “acute labor shortage”. However, it mentioned that “imported labor has become a sensitive issue, and there is no political consensus on how to address it.”

According to the report, EU-Macau relations continued to flourish, with a growing portfolio of cooperative activities and solid trade relations. However, EU- Macau trade shrunk in 2016, a factor the report attributes to the contraction in Macau’s economy.