The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today said financial cooperation would be one of the key ways in which Macao could assist in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Mr Chui stressed such assistance would be an important task for the Government in the coming year. He made the comments when presenting details to the Legislative Assembly regarding how Macao could further its existing financial ties with regional partners.
The Government would step up its effort to optimise the city’s financial infrastructure and speed up the processing of relevant legislation, and would also expand the pool of local professionals in the finance sector.
Mr Chui disclosed the initiatives when he attended a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly to answer questions raised by Assembly members concerning the Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2018, which the Chief Executive had presented on Tuesday (14 November). The document was titled “Be pragmatic yet enterprising, and share the fruits of development”.
As Mr Chui explained his vision for the Government’s work in 2018, he said Macao was also looking forward to playing a greater role as a centre for education in Portuguese-language skills; and as a centre for training professionals in the tourism sector, particularly in relation to the development needs of the Greater Bay Area.
The Chief Executive said Macao ought to seize the development opportunities arising from the supportive measures laid out by the Central Government, in order to integrate further with national development, as outlined in the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Macao would press ahead regarding enhancing ties with the mainland, with a focus on the Greater Bay Area and on cooperation with Guangdong, Hong Kong and places in the Pan-Pearl River Delta, he added.
In the Policy Address, the Government highlighted additional strategies to make use of Macao’s inherent advantages in order to foster the development of the Greater Bay Area. Those advantages included the city’s close links with Portuguese-speaking countries; and Macao’s role as the host of a number of internationally-recognised MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events, which had helped enhance exchanges between mainland businesses and potential partners from overseas.
Mr Chui pledged that the Government would dedicate further effort to enable more Macao companies, professionals and members of the public to run businesses and to work – with greater convenience of access – in Guangdong Province.
During today’s question-and-answer session, Mr Chui also gave more details on cross-boundary transportation links between Macao and Guangdong and Hong Kong. Some issues regarding arrangements to be put in place following the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge were in the final stage of discussion, he said. They covered: taxi services, bus services to Hong Kong International Airport; customs clearance for vehicles; and arrangements for professional drivers.
The Government was currently exploring with Hong Kong issues relating to cross-boundary movement of private vehicles, such as application procedures, qualification criteria and other arrangements. To this end, the Government was working diligently to revise the city’s regulations on cross-boundary transportation by land.
Mr Chui also disclosed information on the planned connection of Macao’s Light Rapid Transit (LRT) system to the transport network on the mainland. Once construction of the city’s LRT system was completed, people in Macao would be able to transit to the mainland via the following four Macao LRT stations: Wan Chai port at the Inner Harbour; the Macao boundary checkpoint of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge; the new Guangdong-Macao boundary checkpoint; and the Lotus Flower Bridge boundary checkpoint.
In addition, Mr Chui said he noted members of the public had offered a variety of suggestions and comments regarding a measure for the mutual recognition by the mainland and Macao of driving licences issued in the two places. According to the Government’s assessment, such a measure would not have a huge impact on the volume of the city’s traffic. The Government would continue listening to public opinion on the topic, Mr Chui said.
Regarding the city’s bus services, the Chief Executive said the Government would commission academic institutions to study in depth how to improve the bus system.
The Chief Executive took questions from 30 Assembly members in total, on topics ranging from: the city’s Five-Year Development Plan; poverty in the active workforce; public administration reform; the efficiency of administration; housing policy; talent development; the welfare of civil servants; development of Macao as a smart city; healthcare services; urban renewal policy; and a response mechanism for public emergencies.