Xia Baolong, mainland China’s top official on Macao affairs, has stressed the importance of Hengqin to Macao’s future development, telling various delegates over the past several days that the SAR needs to double down on its integration with the island, which is administratively a district of Zhuhai.
As part of his six-day fact-finding trip to Macao, which began last Thursday, the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office met with representatives from 14 local organisations at the Government Headquarters on Friday to discuss various issues, with Hengqin’s development prominent among them.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, the secretary for administration and justice, Cheong Weng Chon, cited Xia as saying that “Macao should take the development of Hengqin as its own business,” as the island was “very important for the development of Macao’s appropriate economic diversification.”
In response to Xia’s comments, Cheong said the SAR government would devote more resources to Hengqin’s development under the auspices of a working group that was established earlier this year for this purpose.
[See more: Top official continues Macao inspection tour with focus on development and culture]
Xia’s comments regarding Hengqin align with those made by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited the island as part of his three-day Macao tour last December. During that trip, Xi praised the progress that had been made, highlighting the opportunities that the island offers to young Macao residents.
On Sunday, Xia attended a plenary session with lawmakers at the Legislative Assembly Building, during which he continued to highlight Hengqin’s importance to Macao.
Following the meeting, the president of the Legislative Assembly, Kou Ho In, told local media that Xia urged members of the assembly to “fully understand” the importance of Hengqin, and to consolidate integration.
Xia’s Macao inspection trip is now on its fifth day and is scheduled to end tomorrow. The mainland official visited Forum Macao this morning, where he met with local business representatives.
