China vows to guarantee high degree of autonomy for Macao

On the morning of December 20, the Macao Special Administrative Region held a ceremony to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its return to China and the inauguration of the 4th term of the Macao government.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed the importance of the policy of “one country, two systems”, “Macau people governing Macao people” and Macao’s autonomy, which have been consistently implemented. Through this, the central government’s management and leadership have been implemented, social order has been ensured, and the interests of the people have been taken care of.

Chinese President visits Macau to mark 15th anniversary of Macau's return. Photo: ZUMA Press

In the coming time, China will continue to implement the policy of "one country, two systems", considering this a basic national policy to ensure the stability, development and prosperity of both Macao and Hong Kong.

Mr. Xi Jinping also affirmed that China will continue to adhere to the principle of governing Macao according to the law, respecting the differences between the two systems on the basis of one country, maintaining the power of the Central Government while ensuring a high degree of autonomy for the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed: “We must continue to promote the cause of “one country, two systems”, safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, and ensure the long-term stable development and prosperity of Hong Kong and Macao. We must adhere to the principle of governing Hong Kong and Macao according to law, and ensure that the principle of “one country, two systems” is implemented. We must respect the differences between the two systems on the basis of one country, and ensure the central government’s authority and the high degree of autonomy of the Macao Special Administrative Region.”

Macau was a Portuguese colony and was returned to China on December 20, 1999. Macau has a total area of ​​32.8 km2 and a population of about 550,000, but has a total foreign exchange reserve of up to 16.1 billion USD and a per capita income ranked fourth in the world at 87,000 USD. In the past 15 years, the Macau Special Administrative Region has held 4 elections for the leader of the Special Administrative Region government.

According to VOV