Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai has ruled out the possibility of retaliation against American casino operators amid the ongoing trade war between China and the United States.
His remarks were made yesterday, during a press conference held in the wake of the visit to Macao of Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office and the mainland’s top official on Macao affairs. Sam’s comments were reported by Rádio Macau.
The chief executive said that law-abiding companies had nothing to fear from the local government. “The six gaming operators in Macau, as long as they follow Macao’s laws and conduct their activities in an orderly and lawful manner, are protected and supported by the Government of the Macao SAR.”
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He meanwhile admitted that there were challenges in diversifying Macao’s economy, which is almost totally reliant on gambling and related tourism. However, he stressed that efforts would continue to achieve this goal, Rádio Macau said.
“I believe that in the coming years, it will be very difficult to reverse the dependency on gaming revenues,” Sam remarked, but he stressed that President Xi Jinping had called for Macao to do so, and that Xia had urged the city to adopt a “unified mindset” when it came to economic diversification.
“We have always sought to attract foreign investment, particularly in the technology sector. That is why I want to create a technology park in Macao,” Sam said.
