Welcome to our live coverage of the Macao Chief Executive’s (CE) 2026 policy address. Incumbent CE Sam Hou Fai began delivering his speech at the Legislative Assembly at 3:00 pm, outlining his policy and legislative agenda for the year ahead.
The current policy address comes after the 63-year-old’s maiden speech, which took place in April.
[See more: Macao’s government is now gathering public opinion for the 2026 policy address]
A Q&A session between the CE and the media is also scheduled to take place at the Government Headquarters at 5:30 pm.
Further details about the CE’s 2026 policy address can be found on the official webpage and the Government Information Bureau’s English-language Facebook page.
Read on to find out the latest about the CE’s 2026 policy address.
4:35 pm: Speech concludes
The CE ended his speech by mentioning that there were major changes occurring on the world stage and that Macao faced risks, especially due to its single product economy. He said that “the ultimate goal of governance is to ensure that residents can live a better life.”
4:30 pm: Four major infrastructure projects
The CE said that his government would continue to push forward with the construction of major projects, including the Macao-Hengqin International University City, the Macau International Zone for Integrated Tourism and Culture, the Macau International Airport’s Hengqin upstream cargo terminal and an international air transport hub on the west bank of the Pearl River.
4:24 pm: Further developing Macao’s role as a ‘connector’ between Portuguese-speaking countries and China
The CE discussed the need to strengthen Macao’s role as a platform between Portuguese-speaking countries and mainland China, noting that the city needed to continue to legislate the goals that were outlined during last year’s 6th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao.
4:21 pm: Improving the city
Sam said the government would work to continue improving Macao’s public transport system and would look into the possibility of implementing an online ride-hailing system in the city. At the same time, his administration would encourage further use of electronic vehicles, as well as the promotion of a green Macao.
4:16 pm: Supporting local youths
The CE said his administration was supportive of youth development and encouraged dialogue with the city’s young people. He noted that he would continue with the financing plan for Macao youths in the Greater Bay Area and would increase the number of internship spots in the mainland for university students to 620.
4:10 pm: Increase in multiple allowances
The childcare allowance will continue in order to help tackle the issue of Macao’s low birth rate. Meanwhile, various allowances will be raised next year, including the marriage allowance, which has been boosted to 4,000 patacas. Meanwhile, the unemployment allowance has been increased to 210 patacas per day, while the funeral allowance has been boosted to 5,200 patacas.
4:07 pm: Wealth Partaking Scheme will continue next year
The CE announced that the Welfare Partaking Scheme would continue in 2026, with permanent residents receiving 10,000 patacas and non-permanent residents eligible for 6,000 patacas.
3:53 pm: Economic matters
Sam touched on his desire to attract more visitors to Macao’s residential areas. He mentioned the hosting of festive events in the ZAPE district, which has been impacted by the gradual closures of the surrounding satellite casinos this year.
He added that the government is looking to diversify the range of industries in Macao, especially in terms of health, technology and the modern finance sectors.
3:47 pm: Details on administrative reform
The CE said he is looking to reform certain government departments such as reorganising the Economic and Technological Development Bureau and merging the Consumer Council with the Science and Technology Development Fund and reducing unnecessary spending. As well, the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Cultural Development Fund and the Sports Bureau are expected to merge.
The CE also stated that he is looking to boost judicial cooperation with Hong Kong and the mainland and strengthen training for professionals in this sector.
3:38 pm: 2026 goals
For the year ahead, the CE said that his administration was looking to deepen administrative reforms, spur further economic diversification, improve the livelihood of residents and better integrate Macao into China’s national development.
National security would also be a priority, with Sam mentioning conducting legislative work on anti-terrorism and conducting further studies to prevent money-laundering.
3:34 pm: Domestic challenges
The CE highlighted that there were still various challenges facing Macao, including an “imbalance in the economy” and the need for further economic diversification. He added that the service attitude of some civil servants required improvement.
3:27 pm: Improving social welfare
Sam recounted the various steps that his government took to optimise social welfare in Macao. This included introducing the childcare allowance scheme and raising the pension and disability allowances.
Efforts have also been made to raise the number of taxis, with the CE pointing out that the current number of such vehicles stands at 1,460. Meanwhile, work on the LRT East Line was roughly 40 percent complete.
3:19 pm: Furthering integration between Macao and Hengqin
Macao’s leader mentioned the various measures that were implemented this year to further Macao and Hengqin ties, which included the establishment of coworking groups and the dispatching of 27 full-time SAR civil servants to the mainland city as of September. Meanwhile, steps have also been taken to improve border crossings between Hengqin and Macao, with the number of crossings in Hengqin reaching 20 million, up 33 percent year-on-year. SAR residents accounted for roughly 4.18 million of this total.
3.14 pm: Economic support in 2025
The CE reviewed the government’s efforts to support economic recovery and diversification in Macao, which included the citywide consumption campaigns, the 2025 bank loan scheme for SMEs and the first store economic programme.
3:08 pm: Patriotic governance and administrative reforms
Sam reviewed the milestones this year, noting that his government had been implementing the principle of “patriots governing Macao” through measures such as patriotic education. At the same time, he mentioned administrative reforms intended to streamline the government and improve administrative services. These included restructuring the SAR’s legal system.
3:00 pm: The CE begins his speech
CE Sam Hou Fai began his speech by mentioning that the 6th SAR government had been working towards uniting all sectors of society and implementing the aspirations of Chinese President Xi Jinping. He also mentioned that his administration had been working towards economic diversification, securing national security.
Sam highlighted that Macao’s GDP had hit approximately 301.33 billion patacas in the first three quarters of this year, rising 4.2 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, the city saw its visitor arrival rate hit almost 30 million over this period, with international tourists hitting accounting for roughly 10 million.
