The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, delivered at the Legislative Assembly today, at 3pm, the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2025, titled “Innovate to elevate; forge ahead to break new ground”. The Government's overall policy direction in the coming year will focus on increasing economic diversification, improving people's livelihoods, enhancing governance, and integrating into the overall development of the country.
This was the first policy address delivered by Mr Sam since he took office as the Chief Executive. He said that the current Government will always uphold the spirit of reform and innovation, hard work and responsibility, and the spirit of forging ahead. The Government will work with all sectors of society and the general public to: innovate for development; strive to create a new chapter in Macao’s development; promote high-quality advancements of all undertakings in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR); explore new horizons for the development of Macao; and realise the vision of building a rule-based, vibrant, cultural, and blissful Macao.
The current-term Government will lead all sectors of society to study thoroughly and to implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important speeches delivered during his latest visit to Macao, further enhancing the confidence and determination of the whole of Macao to shoulder new missions and write a new chapter in the city’s development. Mr Sam noted that the remaining time for this year’s governance schedule was relatively short as the Policy Address for Fiscal Year 2026 will be released in November this year. The 2025 Policy Address is, thus, based on the present and looks to the future. It is not limited to the work to be carried out this year, but also includes some medium- and long-term policies and measures, planned and introduced with long-term aims in mind.
The Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2025 proposes the main expected goals of the MSAR’s development this year. They include to: consolidate economic recovery; further enhance adequate economic diversification; promote community economic development; maintain positive gross domestic product (GDP) growth; and continuously improve the employment situation of residents, and maintain a low unemployment rate. Other main goals include to: stabilise prices and the supply of daily necessities; continuously improve people’s livelihoods; continue to deepen public administration reform; improve governance effectiveness; continuously deepen public administration reform, strengthen overall coordination mechanisms, and improve governance effectiveness. Other key goals are to: integrate better into overall national development; create a higher-level platform for opening up to the outside world; and safeguard national security and social stability.
In 2025, the Government's policy priorities include the following five areas:
1. Building a vibrant economy, striving for development, seeking advancement, and endeavouring to promote appropriate economic diversification.
This covers: expediting research and work relating to the establishment of a Government industrial fund and a fund for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements; setting up a working group to review business regulations, and focusing on soliciting business and attracting investment in key industries; and setting up offices outside Macao to promote the MSAR’s economic, trade, cultural and tourism sectors, and collaborating with gaming concessionaires to strengthen international marketing of Macao. Other economic aims are to: assist traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products’ expansion in the global market, starting with Portuguese-speaking countries, then gradually expanding into markets in Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia and other regions; leverage the brand of the Macao Medical Center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital in order to boost medical tourism; expand the city’s bond market, and cultivate and attract more financial talent; promote the research and development of a “Digital Macao Pataca”; and advance the integrated development of industry, academia and research. Other 2025 aims are to; host international culture and art events, large-scale festivals, iconic events, and international mega sports competitions; promote the development of the digital economy; cultivate and develop Macao’s new quality productive forces by supporting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and human resources; utilise and revitalise old urban areas and revive the economy at neighbourhood level; and launch the “SME bank loan interest subsidy scheme” to support SMEs’ quality development.
2. Readiness to take responsibilities, focus on practicalities and make a difference, staying committed to enhancing the SAR’s governance.
This includes to: optimise the Government’s role as leader and coordinator of public administration reform, simplifying organisation structures, and initiating structural reorganisation for the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) and the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM); improve the staff quota system and implement an accountability system for leaders and persons in charge; and expedite reforms to streamline the Government’s functions, delegating power and improving Government services, providing greater convenience to people and business operators. Other aims are to: strengthen the coordination of legal works, and advance legislative works in key areas; resolutely safeguard national security and Macao’s stability; build a stronger police force with the support of technology; support the development and expansion of patriotic organisations; implement the principle of “patriots administering Macao”, and carry out oath-taking requirements for all civil servants in accordance with the law; ensure the successful completion of the 8th Legislative Assembly elections; and enhance the oversight and supervisory responsibilities of the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) and the Commission of Audit (CA) over public capital enterprises.
3. Resolving people’s difficulties, alleviating people’s hardships, improving people’s livelihoods, striving for better living standards for the people.
This area covers: prioritising the protection of local residents' employment; channelling resources to the community, offering targeted assistance to disadvantaged communities, and taking good care of elderly citizens as part of work to cope with an ageing population; improving measures to support parenthood; improving rehabilitation services; optimising the functions of the Macao Medical Center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital; improving medical services and the healthcare system; and enhancing specialist medical services and capacity, and improving community medical services. Other aims under this grouping are to: expedite the construction of social housing, ensure reasonable arrangements for the supply of economic housing, examine the feasibility of an economic housing exchange scheme, and improving the services of Government housing units for the elderly. The Government also aims to: ensure the successful hosting of the 15th National Games and the National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the National Special Olympic Games; accelerate urban renewal projects, and ensure reasonable use of land; improve traffic control and management; build a green Macao; build a beautiful Macao, and improve the city’s appearance; and improve youth policies, rolling out schemes to support young people seeking employment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
4. Promoting exchanges, expanding opening-up, sharing prosperity, accelerating integration into national development.
These are by means of: adopting strategies to “Go North, Down South, Move West, Navigate East”, strengthening connection with the mainland and the rest of the world; coordinate the building of a single free trade zone between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao; seek support to set up a “state university information and communication technology transfer centre”; and strengthen the infrastructure connectivity of the Greater Bay Area, and improve “Northbound travel for Macao vehicles”. This area of work also involves: maximising Macao’s “precise liaison” role between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and enriching the functions of the Sino-Lusophone platform; bolstering cooperation with Europe, as well as with Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries outside Europe, deepening international exchanges and cooperation; maximising exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese mainland; and fortifying the construction of Macao’s “One Base” function, and branding Macao as an important gateway of cultural exchanges and mutual learning between East and West.
5. Leveraging advantages, increasing impetus, pursuing long-term development, and initiating major construction projects.
This will be by: building a Macao-Hengqin international education (university) town; creating international integrated tourism and cultural districts in Macao; building Macao as an international air transport hub (port) on the west bank of the Pearl River; and building a technology research industrial park in Macao.
Mr Sam stated during his Policy Address speech that the current-term Government will be guided by the "four points" proposed by President Xi Jinping in his important speeches, closely focusing on the positioning of “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” and adopting the “1+4” appropriate economic diversification strategy, as well as showing greater effort in achieving moderate economic diversification. Macao will integrate into, and serve, overall national development with a more proactive attitude, strive to build a higher-level platform for opening up to the outside world, and demonstrate greater achievements on the international stage. With the integration of Macao and Hengqin as the goal, the MSAR Government will step up efforts to accelerate the construction of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
By vigorously promoting innovation in the legal system, the Government will give full play to the overall coordination role of the leading group for promoting the construction of the Cooperation Zone; study and formulate important policies, laws and regulations to support the construction of the Cooperation Zone; and promote the connection of civil and commercial legal rules in the Cooperation Zone in the context of Macao and international standards.
Giving full play to Macao's leading role, and adjusting and optimising the functions and division of labour of the Administrative Committee of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the Government will appoint a greater number of outstanding civil servants from Macao to work on the Committee and other working bodies of the Cooperation Zone, and actively promote the implementation of a pilot scheme for the appointment of non-permanent judges for setting up a collective court in Hengqin. The MSAR Government will increase efforts to attract investments; deepen connectivity between Macao and Hengqin; promote the movement of "single-plate vehicles" entering the mainland via Hengqin Port; expand Government affairs and people's livelihood services available in Hengqin; and create an administrative environment in the Cooperation Zone that converges with Macao.
Mr Sam pointed out that strengthening overall coordination mechanisms is an important measure for the current-term Government to deepen administrative reform and enhance governance capabilities. The Government has already established six working groups. In the future, in response to the needs of advancing and developing governance work, the Government will establish more cross-field and cross-departmental coordination mechanisms. This is in order to break down departmental barriers. promote efficient collaboration and overall linkage across departments, and improve efficiency, to ensure the smooth implementation of various reform measures and governance work. Combining rule of law with responsibility and action can improve public governance capabilities and governance effectiveness.
The Government will solve the deep-rooted conflicts and problems in economic and social development, effectively maintain social harmony and stability, continuously enhance citizens' sense of participation, achievement, and happiness, and continuously work to realise citizens' yearning for a better life.
