On 1 November, China’s State Council officially appointed Sam Hou Fai as the sixth-term chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR). The appointment ceremony, held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, was witnessed by President Xi Jinping. The ceremony formalised Sam’s status as the SAR’s chief executive-designate, which he will remain until being sworn in as its new leader on 20 December – the same day Macao celebrates the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland.
In Beijing, Xi personally congratulated Sam on his appointment. He commended the former president of Macao’s Court of Final Appeal for his firm stance in loving the country and Macao, as well as for his contributions to the SAR’s prosperity and stability during a long tenure as its top judge.
Xi praised Sam’s “broad recognition and support from the society of Macao”, which he said was demonstrated by a decisive election result in October. “The central authorities fully acknowledge this and have full trust in you,” Xi noted.
He also highlighted the remarkable success of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy with Macao characteristics over the past quarter of a century. Xi said that the central authorities remained committed to fully and faithfully implementing the principle, which has allowed Macao’s own people to administer the city with a high degree of autonomy since the its return to the motherland in 1999.
The country’s president urged Sam to fulfil his mission in leading the SAR’s sixth-term government by uniting all segments of Macao society and continuously breaking new ground in practising the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy.
At the ceremony, Premier Li Qiang presented Sam with a decree of the State Council appointing him as Macao’s sixth-term chief executive. Two other senior members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, were also in attendance: the current first-ranked secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Cai Qi and Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang.
Xi Jinping’s vision for Macao
After spending three days in Beijing, Sam returned to Macao and briefed local media on his discussions with Xi – which included guidance from the president on how to govern the SAR. At front and centre was the importance of continuing to comprehensively, accurately and unswervingly implement the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy, with a focus on maintaining Macao’s unique characteristics. According to Xi, national security is a fundamental principle of the policy and of utmost importance, Sam noted.
Economic diversification was another key concern for both the Central and SAR Governments, said Sam, who promised Xi that he would strive to create favourable conditions for the city’s emerging industries. He also reaffirmed his commitment to the ‘One Centre, One Platform, One Base’ development strategy, which seeks to position Macao as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, a commercial and trade platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and a base for cultural exchange where Chinese culture is dominant but co-exists with different cultures.
Sam said that Xi highlighted the significance of Macao’s participation in developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the second phase of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
With regards to social welfare in the SAR, Sam said that Xi was closely attuned to the well-being of Macao’s population. He said that the president had requested Macao’s sixth-term government to focus on areas including elderly care, healthcare in general, transport and supporting parents to raise their children. Sam pledged that his government would introduce new social welfare measures that were fair, targeted and designed to better assist those in need.
Sam Hou Fai’s criteria for appointing top officials
During his press briefing, Sam outlined the criteria that will inform his selection of top officials for Macao’s sixth-term government. Each candidate must be a patriot and have the Central Government’s trust; be committed to safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty, security and development interests; demonstrate their love for Macao; have earned recognition from the local population; be dedicated to serving the public; possess a team spirit; possess governance capability with a willingness to shoulder responsibilities; and have a strong sense of integrity, a quality that Sam deemed indispensable in public officials.
Sam further noted that the new administration would continuously build consensus, foster resilience and pursue innovation under the leadership of the Central Government.
According to Macao’s Basic Law, the chief executive is responsible for nominating and reporting the appointment of Macao’s nine principal officials and the chief prosecutor to the Central Government.
