Politics – Macao Magazine

Fast-tracking integration

China’s upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan is to confirm the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as one of three national ‘engines of high-quality development’. This signals an acceleration of regional integration, urging Macao to speed up economic diversification through Hengqin and the development of new industries

December 2025

The Policy Address took place within Macao’s Legislative Assembly

‘Innovate to Elevate’

Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai’s 2025 Policy Address outlined a bold and pragmatic vision for Macao’s future, focusing on economic diversification, social welfare reform, regional and international cooperation, and ambitious infrastructural developments.

May 2025

Macao Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (left) warmly greets visiting Central Government official Xia Baolong outside Santa Sancha in May

Xia Baolong Shares ‘Four Aspirations’ for Macao

The Central Government’s top official on Hong Kong and Macao affairs urged the latter Special Administrative Region to deepen integration with Hengqin, promote economic diversification and expand international engagement during his latest tour of the city.

May 2025

Macao Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (left) travelled to the neighbouring SAR for his first official trip since taking office

‘Like Brothers’: Macao and Hong Kong’s Leaders Meet

Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai and Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee Ka-chiu, reaffirmed their commitment to the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and each other in February.

April 2025

Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi holds the second China-Portugal strategic dialogue at the foreign ministers’ level with Portugal’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel in Beijing

Portugal’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Visits Beijing and Macao

Rangel’s visit to China was the first by a Portuguese government minister in over five years. It also marked Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai’s first meeting with a foreign minister since taking office in December.

April 2025

Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai is leading the SAR into its next five years of transformation and progress

Sam Hou Fai is Sworn in as Macao’s Chief Executive

The city’s new leader has pledged to uphold the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle, prioritise economic diversification and ensure Macao is making significant contributions to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

January 2025

The 10 principal officials of Macao’s sixth-term government stand on stage at their inauguration ceremony, with Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai at their centre

Who’s Who in Macao’s New Government

The Special Administrative Region (SAR)’s sixth-term government was sworn in on 20 December 2024, in a ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping. While many of the faces remain the same as the previous administration, there are a number of newcomers – including Sam Hou Fai,

January 2025

Xi (right) personally congratulated Sam on his appointment

President Xi Jinping Meets Chief Executive-designate Sam Hou Fai in Beijing

During a three-day trip to the country’s capital in November, the Central Government officially appointed Sam Hou Fai as Macao’s sixth-term chief executive. In Beijing, President Xi Jinping conveyed his trust in Sam to fully and faithfully implement the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy.

December 2024

Introducing Sam Hou Fai: Macao’s chief executive designate

Sam Hou Fai has been a guiding force in Macao’s legal system since the early 1990s. Now, after a decisive election result, the former judge is preparing to lead the Special Administrative Region into its sixth-term government. Sam has pledged to champion a dynamic Macao

October 2024