The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, today said he hoped that local news organisations could report extensively on the events revolving around the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, showing to the world the infinite vitality and bright future made by the successful practise in Macao of the “One country, two systems” principle.

Mr Ho expressed his hopes at a lunch reception with representatives of Chinese-language local news organisations.

Mr Ho affirmed the role played by media in Macao. They had worked diligently in shoring up residents’ confidence in social recovery; helped Macao capture the world’s interest regarding the city’s development; and offered suggestions on, and coordinated with, policy implementation.

In the past year, Macao had emerged from the shadow of the pandemic and entered a new stage of rejuvenation and development.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of all residents, Macao’s society has been stable and peaceful, with steady progress in various endeavours. Utilising the credibility and reach of the press, journalists in Macao had fulfilled their roles over the past year as they continued to communicate to the public the achievements yielded from the measures adopted by the Government in revitalising the economy and broadening the city’s sources of tourists.

Local media had also given Chinese-language readers in and outside Macao – via various media and media platforms – a better understanding of Macao’s fresh achievements and progress in: safeguarding national security; the fuelling economic recovery; the boosting of “1+4” diversified industrial development; the steps to go all-out to develop the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin; the bettering of people’s well-being; and the promotion of transport infrastructure construction, among other things.

Mr Ho pledged that, in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, and the Basic Law of Macao, the Government would continue as it always has, to uphold press freedom, and give active support for media outlets to conduct interviews, professional training, and exchanges. The Government would also fully assist the press in performing its professional duties.

The Chief Executive called on all professionals in the Chinese-language news organisations in Macao to carry forward the tradition of patriotism and love for Macao, by attracting more readers with outstanding reports, extending their reach and serving Macao, integrating into national development and building a global presence for Macao.

Further effort from the media would help provide the public with more insights into the new trends, new developments and fresh achievements in Macao, as well as in the Cooperation Zone. Such effort would also highlight Macao’s advantages and features as a liveable city that is also suitable for tourism and business in all dimensions, said Mr Ho.

The year 2024 marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland. This year would also witness the completion of the Cooperation Zone’s first-stage development goals, and the start of the Development Plan for Appropriate Economic Diversification of the Macao Special Administrative Region (2024-2028), noted Mr Ho.

As the new year begins, the Government has been preparing for the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macao) and will do its best to hold a number of high-profile events, including the 7th meeting of the Macao-Portugal Joint Committee. This is in order to expand Macao’s role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and bring the two sides’ economic and trade cooperation to a new level, he said.

In tandem, the Government would work in line with the overall policy direction of “strengthening recovery, fostering diversification, improving livelihoods, and enhancing development”. The Government would meet its responsibilities, take concrete forms of action, and foster positive interplay between stability and progress.

The Government would strive to open up new opportunities in the midst of change, go to greater lengths to maintain national security and social stability, and take the initiative to strengthen its overall arrangements to make the city an even greater bulwark of national security.

In addition, further efforts would be made to accelerate the implementation of the major tasks and key projects laid out in the “1+4” strategy, in a bid to speed up the development of the Cooperation Zone and effectively enable high-quality economic development in Macao. It was equally necessary to create a more harmonious society with continuous efforts to improve people’s livelihoods and address the deep-seated conflicts and problems in socio-economic development, by constant improvement in governance capabilities. By making full use of its advantages, Macao would integrate better into national development and make progress in all its undertakings, said Mr Ho.