EU report calls for greater commitment to democracy

The European Commission of the European Union has adopted the latest annual report to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on political and economic developments in the Macau SAR, covering 2017.

The report, which assesses the state of the politico-economic environment of Macau and details the nature of EU-Macau relations, found several areas of concern in Macau last year. Its findings led the political bloc to conclude that a greater commitment to democracy, rule of law and protection for fundamental freedoms and rights was required in the MSAR.

In particular, the European Union lobbied for “greater public involvement” in the election of Macau’s chief executive and the Legislative Assembly, which “would enhance their legitimacy, increase public support and strengthen governance.”

The EU said that work is ongoing regarding the commitments taken by the Macau government to address the EU’s concerns under its screening of third countries and jurisdictions’ taxation policies and practices. In December last year, Macau was temporarily blacklisted by the European political bloc, accused of being a tax haven.

The report mentions several worrying developments, including the banning of activists, lawmakers and journalists from entering Macau last year and self-censorship of the media.

“There appears to be a degree of self-censorship [in the media], particularly in Chinese-language media and when reporting on Chinese affairs. NGOs and media activists continue to raise concerns over self-censorship, which is due to the media’s reliance on government funding.”

It also mentioned allegations from pro-democracy activists that the Central Government unlawfully hacked their social media, email and instant messaging services in order to monitor election campaign activity.

Meanwhile, the EU praised the local government’s fight against human trafficking – for example through training sessions, public awareness campaigns and increased cooperation with mainland Chinese and Hong Kong intelligence agencies. However, it added that “trafficking in human beings remains an issue in Macau” and that “the number of prosecutions and convictions remains low despite a large number of complaints.”

In economic terms, the Macau economy appeared to be making strong gains in its recovery, the EU said. In particular, the “diversification of the gambling sector gained some ground over the last year,” even as it remains a long-term goal of the government.

Gov’t: European Union making ‘irresponsible’ comments

The local government has reacted yesterday to the European Union annual report on Macau, expressing its strong opposition to claims made in the document.

According to a statement issued by the Government Information Bureau, the report “contains groundless and baseless claims, and made irresponsible comments about Macau’s internal affairs.”

The statement continues by saying that “Macau’s internal affairs are a domestic matter for China: foreign countries have no right to interfere in China’s domestic affairs.”

Claiming as “undeniable facts” that the MSAR “has been strictly implementing the principle of ‘One country, two systems’, ‘Macau people governing Macau’ and the exercise of a high degree of autonomy”, the statement claims that “the successful implementation of the above is effective in maintaining the political stability of Macao, in boosting economic development, and in strengthening social harmony.”