Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac said on Tuesday that the new banknotes issued to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland show that Macau’s successful achievements in its social and economic progress in the past two decades have been relying on the mainland’s support.
Leong made the remarks when delivering a speech at a ceremony about the new banknotes’ issuance and the opening of an exhibition about the national (yuan) and the local (patacas) currencies at Macau Tower.
The event was co-organised by China Banknote Printing and Minting and Bank of China Macau Branch in conjunction with the Macau Monetary Authority (AMCM), and China Golddeal Investment Co. Ltd. The exhibition on the fourth floor of the Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre ends on Sunday.
Bank of China (BOC) Chairman Liu Liange, Central People’s Government Liaison Office Secretary General Wang Xindong, Legislative Assembly (AL) President Kou Hoi In and local business and financial representatives attended the event.
Leong pointed out that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland, adding that the exhibition about the yuan is the first of its kind outside the mainland.
Leong said this showed the nation’s care and support for the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), which was of “special significance”.
The exhibition shows the history of the renminbi (“people’s currency”), as the yuan is officially known. It also includes a section about the pataca, such as showing the pataca banknotes issued by the BOC Macau Branch and Portugal’s Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU), including the new banknotes issued to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland, Leong noted.
According to the Macau Post Daily, Liu pointed out that the BOC opened its first branch in Macau 69 years ago, when the state-owned bank started its journey of “Rooted in Macau, Steadfast in Serving”, adding that in recent years the BOC has been actively integrating itself into the development of the Guang- dong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the economic cooperation platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs).
The 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland banknotes are co-issued by BOC and BNU. According to a previous government statement in March, the two note-issuing banks issued up to 10 million units of commemorative 20-pataca banknotes in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the MSAR.
December 20 marks the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland, as well as the establishment of the MSAR.
