Wu Bangguo, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), visited UM's new campus site today (20 February) to know more about the construction progress. Deeply cared about UM’s development, Wu showed support for the residential college system to be implemented on the new campus and commended UM’s unique characteristics.

Wu’s delegation visited the landmark buildings - the Library and the University Exhibition Hall and was briefed by the Secretary of Transport and Public Works of Macao SAR Lau Si Io and UM Rector Wei Zhao on the planning of the construction and UM’s characteristics respectively. Secretary Lau said that the new campus project was a huge and challenging project with a lot of difficulties; however, with the concerted efforts from all the parties concerned, its construction is finally nearing completion. He also pointed out that, with the support from the central government, the new campus had become a pilot project to explore innovative ways for Guangdong-Macao cooperation and therefore, it had obtained attention from the governments of both places.

Afterwards, Rector Zhao presented UM's four characteristics: the adoption of a 4-in-1 educational model, administration of a team of international faculty, attaching importance to the fundamental disciplines, as well as multidisciplinary development of the leading fields. In response to Wu’s interest in UM’s development, especially the features of its academic programmes and cooperation with other higher learning institutions, Zhao highlighted UM’s future residential colleges system, the Joint Research Centre of Innovative Medicines established together with other top universities from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwanas well as the Chinese Language Cooperation Programme run by four universities from the two sides of the

Taiwan Strait. In doing so, according to Zhao, UM will continue to make good use of its programmes and its strengths in nurturing talents to promote the exchange and cooperation of top universities in Macao, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China.

In response, Wu praised UM’s residential colleges for having its distinctive characteristics, and said that the much bigger new campus will provide an excellent learning environment for the students.

Accompanying Wu were the Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China Hu Chunhua, the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of NPC Zhou Tienong, Chief Executive of Macao SAR Chui Sai On, the Governor of Guangdong Province Zhu Xiaodan, Deputy Secretary-general of the Standing Committee of NPC Qiao Xiaoyang, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of Macao SAR Cheong U, and UM’s University Council Chair Tse Chi Wai.