CE meets with leaders from Fujian Province and conducts inspection and research visit in Fuzhou

MACAU, August 4 - The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, met on Tuesday (4 August) with the Secretary of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Mr Zhou Zuyi, and the Governor of Fujian Province, Mr Zhao Long. The two sides exchanged views on issues including continuing to deepen all-round cooperation between Fujian and Macao and jointly promoting the development of both regions. In the afternoon Mr Sam undertook an inspection and research visit to learn about Fuzhou’s achievements in economic and social development, and its plans for eco-tourism, as well as to draw on the city’s successful experience in urban regeneration, conservation and revitalisation.

During the meeting, Mr Sam noted that the Fujian–Macao cooperation mechanism had been in place for 10 years and had achieved remarkable results, with exchanges and cooperation between the two places having become increasingly comprehensive. Substantial practical cooperation had been achieved in areas such as trade and economic matters, finance, traditional Chinese medicine, culture, tourism, conferences and exhibitions, and education. Mr Sam expressed his gratitude to Fujian Province for its consistent and strong support for Macao’s development, and also thanked the Fujianese community in Macao for their long-standing and wholehearted support for the work of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government.

This year marks the start of the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan. The MSAR Government has proactively aligned itself closely with the country’s major policy initiatives, and with the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the MSAR. The latter – having been carefully researched and drafted – is due to be announced and implemented shortly. These steps present new opportunities for development, and scope to deepen cooperation between Fujian and Macao in this new era. During the period of the Third Five-Year Plan of the MSAR, the city will steadfastly advance appropriate economic diversification, and develop to high standards the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. The MSAR Government hopes that more enterprises and people from all walks of life in Fujian will share in the development opportunities presented by Macao and Hengqin, work hand in hand, and further enrich the substance of Fujian–Macao cooperation.

Secretary Zhou welcomed the Chief Executive and his delegation to Fujian and expressed his gratitude for the MSAR Government’s continued care and support for Fujianese compatriots in Macao. Outlining the overall development of Fujian Province, he noted that Fujian’s total economic output exceeds 6 trillion yuan, ranking eighth among the country’s provincial-level regions.

Fujian is a cradle of China’s revolutionary movement, and a key birthplace of the People’s Liberation Army. It was the location for two Gutian Conferences. It is a treasure trove of greenery, with its forest-cover rate ranking first in the country for 47 consecutive years. Fujian is also a leading centre of reform and opening-up, and one of the country’s earliest provinces to open up to the outside world. The city of Xiamen, in particular, serves as a strategic platform for the nation’s opening-up. Furthermore, Fujian is China’s second-largest province in terms of overseas Chinese affairs. Overseas Chinese communities of Fujian origin are united, possess strong cohesion, and cherish their ancestral homeland and hometowns.

In the afternoon, Mr Sam conducted an inspection and research visit in the city of Fuzhou. He first visited the 30th Anniversary Achievement Exhibition for the “3820” strategic project – Fuzhou 20-Year Economic and Social Development Strategic Vision. The project was personally overseen by President Xi Jinping during his tenure as Secretary of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee. Mr Sam visited the exhibition to gain an understanding of the city’s development plans straddling the 20th and 21st centuries, and the remarkable achievements made over the past 30 years. The Chief Executive also reflected on the key concepts and major initiatives introduced by President Xi during his time in Fuzhou. Mr Sam expressed hope he would be able to draw upon the beneficial experiences and effective approaches of the Chinese mainland, in order to formulate measures that will enable Macao better to implement its new development philosophy and achieve high-quality development.

Mr Sam and his delegation later visited Guling to examine the area’s plans for the development of ecotourism, and to explore ways of further deepening tourism cooperation between Fujian and Macao. In the evening, Mr Sam and his delegation visited the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block in Fuzhou, to learn about successful case studies relating in particular to urban regeneration, conservation, and the revitalisation of heritage building complexes. This was with a view to identifying experiences from which Macao could draw lessons.