Macao Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai has called for concerted efforts to advance reforms and for bold and innovative policy steps for the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.

Sam made the remarks in a meeting in Hengqin with the Cooperation Zone’s Administrative Committee and its Executive Committee, during a recent inspection tour on Friday, according to a Macao Special Administrative Region government statement.  

Sam quoted President Xi Jinping’s important speech at the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the sixth-term Macao SAR government.

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President Xi’s speech had outlined “Four Expectations” regarding the new-term MSAR government. The first point laid out by President Xi was to endeavor to promote appropriate economic diversification, said Sam.

It included efforts to promote the high-level coordination and deep alignment of rules between the Cooperation Zone and Macao and to target key areas, promoting the development of distinctive industries at scale, and creating a series of landmark and impactful projects and programs.

Sam said the central government’s decision to develop Hengqin was aimed at promoting economic diversification for Macao and to facilitate enhancing the livelihood of Macao residents.

He asked that the Cooperation Zone team further expedite work for its construction, selecting key industries to set up pilot projects, on the basis of ensuring national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and in line with the nation’s fundamental and constitutional principles.

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Sam stressed the need to strengthen the training of civil servants so that they have a deep understanding of both Macao and the Cooperation Zone regulations.

There should also be further efforts to complement the two sides’ strengths under the framework of a “Mutual Discussion, Joint Construction, Joint Administration and Shared Benefits” principle, he added.

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During his inspection tour, Sam visited the Music on TM River exhibition hall and the Macao New Neighbourhood project.

He also visited the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao.

He went to the exhibition center of the Chinese medicine science and creativity museum, met representatives of enterprises based at the park, and received a briefing about the park’s overall planning and operational development.