The practice of "One Country, Two Systems" with Macau's unique characteristics has achieved great success

On the occasion of celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macau's return to the motherland, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited Macau for inspection. This is a major event in the history of Macau's development, which has greatly inspired and uplifted the compatriots in Macau.

The Story of Haojiang "has written a new chapter, and the" Lotus Blossom in the Prosperous Age "has bloomed brilliantly. The 25 years since its return to the motherland have been the period of the fastest development speed, highest development quality, and strongest residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security in Macau's history. The system of "One Country, Two Systems" has been continuously improved, achieving historic leaps in economic and social development, continuously expanding foreign cooperation, and creating the best development situation in Macau's history. The practice of "One Country, Two Systems" with Macau's characteristics has achieved universally recognized great success.

Looking at institutional construction, from successfully completing the legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law, to systematically establishing a legal system and enforcement mechanism to safeguard national security, and then fully implementing the principle of "patriots governing Australia" in the Chief Executive and Legislative Council elections, the constitutional order of the Special Administrative Region has been firmly established, and the governance system is becoming increasingly perfect. Looking at economic development, the regional gross domestic product has grown from 51.9 billion Macau dollars in 1999 to 379.5 billion Macau dollars in 2023, and the per capita regional gross domestic product has increased from 15000 US dollars to 69000 US dollars, ranking among the top in the world. The pace of moderate and diversified economic development is steady, and the guarantee of people's livelihood is solid and strong. Looking at foreign exchanges, the number of participants in international organizations and institutions has increased to over 190, and stable economic and trade relations have been established with more than 120 countries and regions. The global "circle of friends" is becoming larger and the international influence has greatly increased. Macao, the pearl in the palm of our motherland, is politically sound, culturally prosperous, and globally renowned, constantly shining the "golden business card" of an international metropolis.

The glorious achievements of Macao since its return to the motherland have been achieved with the strong support of the central government and the mainland of China, and have been realized through the joint efforts of the special administrative region government and various sectors of society, fully demonstrating the significant institutional advantages and strong vitality of "One Country, Two Systems". In particular, since the new era, the central government has been forward-looking and affectionate towards Haojiang, comprehensively, accurately and unswervingly implementing the policy of "one country, two systems", "Macao people governing Macao" and a high degree of autonomy, giving Macao the development orientation of "one center, one platform and one base", deploying and promoting high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", the construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, the construction of the Hengqin Guangdong Macao Deep Cooperation Zone, etc., and leading Macao to achieve better development in its integration into the national development.

Twenty five years of tremendous changes, Macau has developed from a small town to an internationally renowned city, proving to the world that the great initiative of "One Country, Two Systems" is "feasible, achievable, and popular". If you had been to Macau 20 or 15 years ago, you would have seen it constantly growing. "This is the feeling of international students studying at the University of Macau; As a Macanese, I always feel the strength of our motherland and the love for Macau. I am very happy and grateful! "This is the heartfelt admiration of Macanese residents. Practice has shown that 'One Country, Two Systems' is a good system for maintaining long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macau, serving the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, and achieving peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation among different social systems. It must be adhered to for a long time; The values of peace, inclusiveness, openness, and sharing embodied in the "One Country, Two Systems" policy belong to China and the world, and are worthy of joint protection.

The top four important experiences proposed by President Xi Jinping are "adhering to the foundation of 'one country' and making good use of the benefits of 'two systems'". Deep roots lead to lush leaves, and solid roots lead to flourishing branches. It is precisely because we always prioritize adhering to the foundation of "one country", uphold national sovereignty, security, and development interests above all else, implement the comprehensive governance power of the central government, uphold the authority of the Constitution and the Basic Law, while respecting the differences between the "two systems", highlighting the advantages of the "two systems", and achieving complementary advantages and common development between Macao and the mainland of China, that we ensure that the practice of "one country, two systems" in Macao will never deviate or deform, move steadily in the right direction, and constantly radiate vitality and unique charm.

The current and future period is a critical period for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation with Chinese path to modernization, and the practice of "one country, two systems" has entered a new stage. Realizing better development of Hong Kong and Macao, and making greater contributions to the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation, is an important mission of the practice of "One Country, Two Systems" in the new era. The "four focuses" proposed by President Xi Jinping have pointed out the direction for Macao to better leverage the advantages of the "one country, two systems" system and continuously create a new situation of high-quality development of the "one country, two systems" cause. Looking towards the future, fully utilizing the central support policies, focusing on the strategic task of promoting moderate and diversified economic development, seizing opportunities, forging ahead with reforms, and taking on responsibilities, will surely write a wonderful story of 'if the motherland is good, Macao will be better'.

Climbing high and gazing into the distance, thousands of sails compete, and sailing forward with determination is just the right time. The development of the country is advancing rapidly and unstoppable, while the development of Macau is accumulating steadily and has a promising future. Let us work together to leverage the institutional advantages of 'One Country, Two Systems', continue to write a new chapter in the successful practice of' One Country, Two Systems', and create a better tomorrow for Macau.