‘Happy Macau’ tops new Five-Year Plan, CE says

Happy Macau is the ultimate goal of the new five-year plan, with residents’ well-being and security as its guiding principles, the Chief Executive said.

The government officially released the third five-year plan for economic and social development (2026–2030) on Tuesday. In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai stressed that the SAR government had consistently placed residents’ well-being at the heart of the plan, as both its starting point and ultimate goal.

“The foundation and starting point is a ‘Happy Macau’ – social security, people’s livelihoods and residents’ sense of happiness, gain and security,” he reportedly said. Reflecting on the city’s journey, he added: “Macau has been back with the motherland for 27 years. We must have a vision. The SAR government, together with everyone, has jointly drawn up this plan, and we will jointly implement and advance it.”

Sam said the SAR government had proactively aligned the plan with the national 15th Five-Year Plan. He described the drafting of the third five-year plan as an important practice in upholding and improving executive-led governance and modernizing the SAR’s governance system and capacity. “In drafting the plan, we took Macau’s realities as our foundation, reflected and improved executive-led governance, with the executive, legislative and judicial branches coordinating together,” he was quoted as saying. “The content was also shaped according to Macau’s own characteristics. The ‘one country, two systems’ advantage must run through the entire plan, incorporating the national positioning of ‘a center, a platform, a base and a high ground,’ and leveraging Macau’s unique strengths.”

Sam emphasised that the SAR government had consistently adhered to the principle of “what the nation needs, Macau can offer,” and had proactively aligned with the national 15th Five-Year Plan. According to CCTV, he revealed that the overarching principle for drafting the plan was “two alignments”: “First, aligning with the requirements for Hong Kong and Macau set out in the national 15th Five-Year Plan outline, and the requirements for Macau to serve the country’s overall development. Macau’s five-year plan must align with the nation’s development plan.” He added that as a member of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, he hoped that “in terms of task setting and support measures for key projects, we align with neighboring regions and create synergies.”

Reportedly, Sam said the SAR government would unite and guide all sectors of society to ensure the plan’s full implementation over the next five years, steering Macau towards a new phase of high-quality development under the “one country, two systems” framework with Macau characteristics.

Meanwhile, Sam said in a separate interview with the People’s Daily that the third five-year plan identifies urban renewal and old district revitalization as key priorities, describing them as important livelihood issues tied to Macau’s urban image, safety and resilience, as well as key measures to cultivate new economic growth points.

Sam noted that the four visions set out in his term goals – “Rule-of-Law Macau,” “Vibrant Macau,” “Cultural Macau” and “Happy Macau” – are all elaborated on and addressed in the plan. He said the plan spans the sixth and seventh SAR governments, and that the significance of a five-year plan lies in building on established medium- and long-term goals, with successive governments continuing the work.

He emphasized that the plan consistently places residents’ well-being as its starting point and ultimate goal, and follows the principle of “doing our best within our means, providing targeted support and channeling resources to the grassroots level” to continuously enhance residents’ sense of gain, happiness and security.