Vice Premier inaugurates new University of Macau campus

Accompanied by the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, Chinese Vice Premier Mr Wang Yang today presided over the inauguration of the new campus of the University of Macau at Hengqin. When he spoke at the 10th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Chui said that with the full backing of the Central Government, the University of Macau would be relocated to Henqin. Now three years on, the University has become a reality. Mr Chui said today that throughout the whole process of the planning, construction and the launch of the campus, the Central Government was very much concerned with the development of Macao's education. Meanwhile, it also showed the other success story made possible by a close co-operation between Guangdong and Macao. Mr Chui also said that by fully supporting the development of the new campus, the Central Government had actually provided invaluable resources for the future growth of higher education of Macao through measures such as providing the land. Mr Chui said Macao will make full use of the new campus to achieve the educational goals of pushing for the building of a sustainable and effective education system, to enhance education and research quality, and to develop a sound higher education for Macao. The Chair of the University Council, Dr Tse Chi Wai, said in his speech that it all began on 27 June 2009 when the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress gave unprecedented approval for the University of Macau to build a new campus on Hengqin Island, and allowed the Macao SAR to exercise jurisdiction over it. He said that on 20 December 2009, then Chinese President Hu Jintao officiated at the ground breaking ceremony of the new campus. Then on 20 July 2013, with the opening of the tunnel link giving Macao a direct underwater link and at the same time jurisdiction over the new campus, the institution on Hengqin became an integral part of the Macao SAR. The new campus project was by all accounts an ingenious endeavour under the "One country, Two systems" framework. The Vice Premier and his entourage toured the residential hall after the inauguration to find out more about students'lives on the campus, then returned to the Mainland via the Lotus Border crossing.