(Macao—8 March 2014) The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, pledged today the Government would strive to enhance Macao’s competitiveness, to facilitate talent cultivation and to develop a diversified economy.

Speaking to reporters as he concluded his visit to Beijing for the opening of the First Plenary Session of the Twelfth National People's Congress, Mr Chui said enhancing Macao’s competitiveness was one of the key points mentioned in the working report of the Central Government, and he had high regards for these comments.

He said the Government has been making the greatest efforts in diversifying the economy and in creating new growth: despite the many problems encountered, it would use its best endeavours to overcome them.

To strengthen Macao’s competitiveness, the Government would make good use of the advantage of positioning Macao as a world tourism leisure centre and the business and trading platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.

Mr Chui said that in the meeting with the Secretary of the Guangdong CPC Provincial Committee, Mr Hu Chunhua, and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhu Xiaodan, both sides discussed the problem of clearance, the new cross boundary passage, and the application of the free trade zone.

A reporter asked, taking new campus of the University of Macao on Hengqin as a model, if the Government would seek more land to build residential units for Macao residents, Mr Chui said the relevant departments would study how to increase Macao’s land supply through the communication mechanisms between the governments of Guangdong, Zhuhai and Macao.

My Chui added that the Government would also follow up on the landing rights in the Mainland for Teledifusão de Macao S.A.R.L., the only local public TV station, after meeting with the Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Mr Liu Qibao.