The Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Wang Guangya, said he was impressed by Macao. Speaking to the press at the airport today before leaving for Beijing on completion of his three-day visit, Mr Wang said he was impressed by the sincerity of the Macao people and the integration of Chinese and Western cultures in Macao. He said the Central Government had all along attached much importance to the development of Macao now that the relation between the motherland and Macao had entered a new phase. He said the 12th Five-year Plan had inscripted important supportive policies about Hong Kong and Macao. Responding to questions, Mr Wang said currently Macao was doing quite well but it should raise its levels in different areas, with education and human resources training as priorities, in order to fulfill Macao's positioning as a global tourism and leisure centre. Speaking about housing in Macao, he said he believed that the Macao authorities attached much importance and made great efforts in dealing with this economic issue, which was correlated to the livelihood of the people. He said both the government and the general public were very concerned about the housing issue and it was necessary to take actions to deal with it. He also said that Macao possessed unique advantages in promoting the relation between the motherland and the Portuguese-speaking countries and it should also strengthen its exchanges with these countries in terms of economy, commerce and culture.
