The 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee passed a bill today to give Macao jurisdiction over the new campus of the University of Macau (UM) on Hengqin Island. Macao would exercise jurisdiction over the new campus upon its completion, which is expected to be within three years. At that time the plot of land would be rented to Macao until 19 December, 2049. The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said at a press conference today that the decision by the Central Government demonstrated its support nurturing talents and maintaining the prosperity and stability of Macao. It also showed the co-operation of Guangdong Province and Zhuhai in supporting Macao, Mr Ho said. On behalf of the Macao SAR Government, Mr Ho expressed gratitude to the Central Government, Guangdong Province and Zhuhai. In the last two years, the UM University Council and University Assembly had been in discussion with the Government on the feasibility of setting up a campus on Hengqin Island, and submitted a proposal last year. The Government highly regarded and supported the proposal and submitted a report to the Central Government regarding moving UM to Hengqin and authorising Macao to exercise jurisdiction over the new campus, Mr Ho said. During the 5th Anniversary celebration of the Macao SAR, the President, Mr Hu Jintao, urged Macao to speed up nurturing talents for the development of the SAR. Thus, the Central Government had approved Macao’s request and submitted a bill to the NPC in order to give Macao the power to exercise jurisdiction over the new campus on Hengqin, which is currently under the jurisdiction of Zhuhai. The new campus would be located on the eastern coast of Hengqin Island and to the south of the Lotus Bridge, just across a narrow marine channel from Macao, said the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Lau Si Io. The campus will cover 1.0926 square kilometres, about 20 times larger than the current campus. A tunnel will be built under the channel to enable 24-hour commuting between the Hengqin campus and Macao, and people entering or leaving the campus will not be subjected to border control. The Hengqin campus would serve as a ‘pilot project’ as part of a wider collaboration between Guangdong and Macao in the joint development of Hengqin. Macao had formed a working group to discuss with Guangdong and Zhuhai over the construction of the new campus. The current campus would not be used for gaming and commercial purpose, and would serve for educational, academic, cultural, recreational and sports activities that are relevant to the Macao community, said Mr Lau.
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