macao a decade on

1、<p>　　Macao a Decade on</p><p>　　“Macao remains a microeconomic entity even after ten years of integration, but its economic aggregate has seen dramatic augmentation.” </p><p>　　?C Dr. Leon

2、g Wan Chong, chief of One Country Two Systems Research Center at the Macao Polytechnic Institute. </p><p>　　WE have higher incomes, better public security and more job opportunities; our government isalso mo

3、re attentive to public opinion and has increased subsidies for public undertakings. But there are too many casinos around, and housing prices are too high.” This is how Zheng Bingkun, a 59-year-old bus driver, sums up li

4、fe in Macao since it returned to the PRC. </p><p>　　Zheng and his wife Liang Shuqin, a worker at a local garment factory, are not just ordinary folks. In 2004 they hosted President Hu Jintao in their 70-squa

5、re-meter apartment on the Avenida do Coronel Mesquita. A picture of that stellar meeting still hangs in their sitting room. </p><p>　　What delights the couple most about the past decade is that both of their

6、 children have landed stable jobs. Their son works for the Secretariat for Administration and Justice in the local government, and their daughter is a teacher. “Opportunities were always slim for Macao natives to gain en

7、try into the local government under the Portuguese rule. Now all applicants compete fairly in a meritocracy through a system of exams,” Mr. Zheng explained. </p><p>　　According to a survey conducted in Decem

8、ber by the One Country Two Systems Research Center of the Macao Polytechnic Institute, 82 percent of the people in Macao feel that the “one country two systems” policy has been successful for the region. As Edmund Ho Hau

9、 Wah, the first chief executive of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), noted:“The people of Macao are confident about the policy, as it has brought them substantial benefits.” </p><p>　　A Plump Public

10、 Purse </p><p>　　Sou Tim Peng, acting director of Macao’s Economic Service served in the government of Macao prior to the region’s handover to the PRC. “During the four years leading up to Macao’s return to

11、the motherland local economic growth was down. It bounced back by 5.7 percent within the first year after the return, and soon realized a two-digit increase on its annual growth,” Mr. Su said. The recuperation was primar

12、ily credited to the region’s gambling industry. Beginning in 2006 Macao became bent on div</p><p>　　Figures from the Statistics and Census Service show that from 1999 to 2008 the region’s GDP rose from US $5

13、.9 billion to US $21.48 billion, while the per capita GDP was up from US $14,000 to $39,000. Over the ensuing decade, Macao’s fiscal revenues increased from US $2.1 billion to US $7.2 billion, with the local government’s

14、 fiscal surplus snowballing year after year and reaching US $12.5 billion. Meantime, the per capita median income of Macao people grew from US $615 to $1,063 per month; resi</p><p>　　“Macao remains a microec

15、onomic entity even after ten years of integration, but its economic aggregate has seen dramatic augmentation,” said Dr. Leong Wan Chong, chief of One Country Two Systems Research Center at the Macao Polytechnic Institute

16、. With its extraordinary dynamics, the enclave of a territory of 29.6 square kilometers and a population of 540,000 has managed to turn the world’s head. </p><p>　　Livelihoods and Safety Nets Improved </p

17、><p>　　“I am happy to be a resident of Macao,” said Ho Lai Chun da Luz, director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the SAR. “For example, all of our activities are funded by the regional government. The governm

18、ent cultural investments have grown at an annual rate of two digits, ensuring the public a life rich in historical dimensions.” Over the past decade the government of Macao has steadily increased its budgets for cultural

19、 and educational development and general improvement of living quality. The p</p><p>　　Zhuang Qingqing, 18, a senior at the local Workers’ Children High School,plans to study translation/interpretation at Pe

20、king University or the University of Lisbon after graduation. Her classmate Zeng Yashi, one of the school’s student leaders, yearns to make a bigger name for herself, through a career in journalism someday. He Bailin, a

21、policeman’s son, has his eyes set on several programs in criminal psychology at a university in Australia. These three students are indicative of great potentia</p><p>　　The Workers’ Children High School was

22、 founded in the 1950s by the Macao Federation of Trade Unions, and is filled with children of working class families. “Most of the students are from humble backgrounds,” said principal Tong Chi Kin. “But they all have th

23、e desire to learn, and the acquisition of knowledge gives them the power to alter their fates in a positive way.” In recent years Macao has extended its period of free education from nine to 15 years, and provides incent

24、ives for young people t</p><p>　　Macao, with its growing budget surpluses, has lavishly increased its welfare budget. In 2008 and 2009 the regional government carried out a wealth-sharing system for inhabita

25、nts whose monthly salaries were below MOP 2,000, designed to even out somewhat the economic benefits of the region across its population. Zheng Bingkun’s wife Liang Shuqin received a total of MOP 24,000 (US $3,000) from

26、the cash handout each year. </p><p>　　The government also launched a new pension plan in 2009, which establishes an account of MOP 10,000 (US $1,250) for all residents who meet the requirements, and increase

27、s it annually in concert with the size of budget surplus. It is a supplement to the current pension plan offered by employers, and is expected to enhance the prospects of an even more comfortable life for Macao’s retiree

28、s. Apart from the salary subsidy and pension programs, the local government also provides handsome medical and </p><p>　　Master of Its Own Destiny </p><p>　　At the conclusion of the first decade

29、 of his administration of Macao SAR, Edmund Ho Hau Wah recalled its rocky start: his administration had little experience in implementing the promise of a “Macao ruled by the Macao people.” “We had to deal with many of t

30、he residual problems that history had left on our doorstep, even though the localization of the government’s functionaries was barely underway during the transition period. So many young, green public servants walked col

31、d into their roles righ</p><p>　　Florinda da Rosa Silva Chen, secretary for the Administration and Justice of the Macao SAR Government, has contributed a lot to the orientation and team building of Macao’s p

32、ublic servants since 1999. Chen was educated at a Portuguese school and worked in the government of Portuguese Macao from the age of 20. It was beyond her expectations to be appointed as a secretary upon Macao’s return t

33、o China. “I am very proud that the central government has placed its confidence in me, and my decades of s</p><p>　　Lau Cheok Va, president of the Macao Legislative Council, has been a member of the legislat

34、ure since 1984, and is witness to the unfolding of local rule. Before 1999, the legislature had little legislative power; instead the Governor of Macao was empowered to write legislation, 70 percent of which was drafted

35、by him alone. Now, the SAR government draws up administrative regulations only, as authorized and keyed to the Basic Law, while the Legislative Council drives the entire legislation process</p><p>　　Leonel A

36、lberto Alves, who was born in Macao in 1957, represents a unique group ?C Macao born Portuguese. After Macao’s return to the homeland, many Portuguese citizens chose to remain and continue their careers and life here. Ma

37、ny of them have even applied for Chinese citizenship. Leonel Alberto Alves was the first local-born Portuguese who became Chinese, and was later elected into the region’s Legislative Council. “We have worked hard to guar

38、antee the rights of our local citizens 100 percent,”</p><p>　　Bai Zhijian, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao Special Administrative Region, said that since Macao’s re

39、turn, the SAR government has enacted numerous new measures, including an online bulletin, to improve its administration and publicize governmental policies. “The SAR government has made unremitting efforts to exercise de

40、mocratic rule in Macao.” </p><p>　　Behind the Economic Miracle </p><p>　　Macao’s amazing economic growth has been called a miracle, but Edmund Ho Hau Wah has a different opinion. “We didn’t perf

41、orm miracles; we just conducted our daily routine in a down-to-earth fashion.” He attributed Macao’s success to the “one country, two systems” policy and the full support of the central government, together with the conc

42、erted efforts of the SAR government and the people of Macao. </p><p>　　Wing Kee Beef Offal is a small food stand that has enjoyed popularity among gourmets and gourmands for 70 years, loved for its delicious

43、 soups and high standard of food safety. The proprietor has seen growth in her business over the last few years thanks to the increase in travelers from the mainland, which make up 30, sometimes 50, percent of the stall’

44、s customer base. Some guests have even invited her to open branches in Beijing or Shanghai, or have asked to purchase her recipes outright. </p><p>　　The success of Macao’s private sector, examplified by Win

45、g Kee, is owed in part to the flexible individual traveling policy implemented by the mainland, or “free traveling,” as it is called by the Macao people. Since Macao’s handover, the central government has acted strictly

46、in accordance with the Basic Law of Macao and the “one country, two systems” policy. It promises noninterference in Macao’s internal affairs, but stands ready to offer full support whenever Macao so requests. In 2003, fo

47、r e</p><p>　　Under the framework of the WTO, Macao has established even closer economic and trade ties with the mainland. After the financial crisis swept the world in 2008, the central government carried ou

48、t nine counter-crisis measures specifically for Macao. Recently Macao has increased exchanges with its neighboring Pearl River Delta Zone, participating in its joint ten-year development plan. As part of that plan, the U

49、niversity of Macao, long compromised by a lack of land, has been approved by the State</p><p>　　Dr. Leong Wan Chong describes the past decade in Macao as one of blazing trails and laying foundations. He beli

50、eves that the SAR, after a fruitful decade, has come full circle to a fresh start ?C one filled with great hope as well as new challenges. </p><p>　　Macao’s first chief executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah expressed

51、on several occasions his sincere gratitude to the central government for its support to the SAR over the past decade. Current Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On is bent on diversifying the region’s economy, now dominat

52、ed by the gambling industry. He worries that dependence on a single industry will jeopardize establishing comprehensive and sustainable development throughout the region. “In the long run, we believe Macao should continu