After two decades of development and support from the Chinese mainland since Macao returned to China, the world's gaming hub has become a main part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. With its pursuit of economic diversification, what's to be expected from a new yuan-denominated bourse to be set up in Macao? How can the city keep its gaming industry thriving?
Hengqin New Area in South China's Guangdong Province is expected to provide 3,800 flats with favorable prices exclusively for citizens of Macao Special Administration Region, according to press conference of Hengqin local government on Monday.
A temporary security checkpoint was set up at the east artificial island on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to check personnel and vehicles that enter Macao and Zhuhai via Hong Kong, the Global Times learned from the authorities on Monday.
Honored guests attend the opening ceremony of an aerospace exhibition marking the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland at Macao University of Science and Technolocy in Macao, south China, Dec. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)
"One country, two systems" gives Macao unique advantages in external relations: foreign ministry commissioner
Compared with when it returned to China in 1999, the Macao SAR now enjoys stable social order, booming investment and trade, and more ambition to enhance its competitiveness in the financial sector.
"During filming, every time I went home, my daughter would always smell around and thought the house smelt different. It later turned out to be the smell of almond cookies from my clothes and skin," said actor Yam Tat-wah from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who was part of the TV drama Macao Family.
The Chinese central government will support the efforts of South China's Guangdong Province in learning and applying the trade rules of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) to its free trade zones.
Macao plays an important role in Sino-Portuguese bilateral relations, and it has achieved remarkable development in various fields over the past 20 years, said Paulo Cunha Alves, consul general of Portugal in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).
The support from the Chinese central government is indispensible for the success of “one country, two systems” principle. Macao is included in multiple key national strategies of China, especially in the field of economy.
Enjoying the status of free port, independent financial, monetary and taxation policies, Macao has found its unique roles in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Macao will soon celebrate the 20th anniversary of its return to the People's Republic of China. Recently, reporters from the Global Times interviewed a number of Macao people of different ages and occupations, asking them to recall the unforgettable moment on the day when Macao returned to the motherland 20 years ago. They shared how the development of Macao in the past two decades is closely linked with their lives and personal efforts. From these stories of Macao residents, we can feel the national identity and their feelings of home and country.
For those who still remember what it was like to suffer from water shortages, like 80-year-old Macao resident Lee Zan Dok, fresh and clean water is seen as the lifeline of everything.