Speech at the Reception of 2016 Spring Festival
Li Gang,
Director of Liaison Office of The Central People’s Government
in The Macau Special Administrative Region
（January 28th, 2016）
Your Excellency Chief Executive Chui Sai On,
Your Excellency Vice President Edmud Ho,
Distinguished Guests, Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On the arrival of 2016 Spring Festival, Liaison Office of The Central People’s Government in The Macao Special Administrative Region holds reception today to celebrate the Spring Festival and giving new year’s greetings to our new and old friends. First of all, I’d like to, on behalf of the Liaison Office, extend our warm welcome to all the guests and new year wishes to our compatriots in the Macau SAR. I wish you all happiness, peace and health.
At this occasion of bidding farewell to the old year and ushering the new, we retrospect the year of 2015, just like what President Xi Jinping said,“Chinese people have made great efforts in building our nation and meanwhile have made enormous achievements.” In the year of 2015, China’seconomic growth remained at the forefront of the world, the Reform and Opening-up continued to deepen and people’s living standard continued to improve. The “three stricts” and “three steadies” carried out in earnest, and the campaign against corruption advanced solidly. In the year of 2015, we solemnly commemorated the 70th anniversary of the victory of Chinese people’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War with a grand military parade. The top leaders of mainland and Taiwan made the handshake after a lapse of 66 years. The footprints of major power diplomacy with Chinese characteristics spread over the world. In the year of 2015, Beijing won the bid for hosting the 24th Winter Olympic Games, Chinese currency Renminbi was approved by the IMF to be a global reserve currency in the Special Drawing Right basket, the AIIB was established and our self-developed C919 jetliner was put on production line……all the achivements make us feel that our country is advancing!
Macao has always maintained the closest relations with motherland and shared weal and woe. During the past year, with the strong support of the central government and mainland, the new SAR government with Chui Sai On as the Chief Executive united all sectors of the community, conscientiously implemented the “one county, two systems” principle and the basic law, actively responded to the economic adjustment, properly coped with social problems and contradictions, and made great efforts to improve people’s living standards and social welfare. Although the environment kept changing in and out of Macau, the economics was in control; public finance was healthy and stable; unemployment rate was in low level and the social situation was in harmony on the whole. All of those indicate that Macau is good capable of resisting compression in the process of development, and our course of “one country, two systems” has exuberant viability.
The new year breeds the new hope and the nation’s 13th Five-Year Plan is carried out gradually. With next five years’ efforts, we’ll build a well-off society in a all-round way, laying a solid foundation for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The development and progress of the country are the solid backing for Macau’s prosperity and stability. With the great concern of the central government and the support of Guangdong province, Macau’s 85 square kilometers’ water and land boundaries are well defined by the State Council, which provides broad space for sustainable development. The Macau government also starts making the 1st Five-Year Plan, depicting a blueprint for the future development.It’s the trend and our hopes with responsibilities to grasp new opportunities, concentrating in developing the economy and improving people’s livelihood in a long term, to strengthen the union of all sectors of society and maintain peace and stability, to make long-term plans actively and build foundation for long period of order and stability. I would like to share with you several hopes concerning Macau’s development in prosperity and stability :
Firstly, be prepared for danger in peace time and go on overcoming difficulties. Over the past years, Macau has made great progress and achievements, however, some conflicts and problems also accumulated. With the economic adjustment , Macau will encounter some difficulties and challenges, so we need to strengthen the consciousness of hardships and the sense of crisis, closely watch out the changes of external environment, actively respond to new challenges, step up to solve some deep-seated problems and increase anti-risk ability. We should brave the wind and waves overcoming difficulties to promote our course in new vigor and vitality.
Secondly, create our future in a long-term perspective. The history of Macau’s development demonstrates that Mainland is the driving source for Macau’s economic development, and also the powerful backing for Macau to resist exterior risks. We should better take the express train of our country and combine Macau’s future with national strategy. We should fully tap our unique advantages and continue to enhance the cooperation and communication with Mainland. We should write a new chapter for Macau’s future development and play the advantage of Macau among the national strategy of Reform and Opening up.
Thirdly, build up our family in union. The old saying goes that “ All things go well when the family is harmonious”. Macau always has the traditions of overall consciousness, unity and harmony, which are the important basis for good governance and united people, prosperity and stability. For Macau’s overall interests and Macau compatriots’ welfare, on our way forward, we should closely unite under the banner of loving our country and Macau, and seek common ground while reserving differences, be considerable of others, have more communication and understanding , and enhance consensus. We should build up our homeland in union and promote the practice of “one country and two systems” to get new achievements.
Dear guests and friends, I sincerely thank the Macau SAR government and all sectors of the community for their great support of our work over the year. In the new year, we’ll as always implement central government’s policy to Macau, fully support Chief Executive and Special Administrative Region to conduct administration according to the law, keep in touch closely with all sectors of the community, actively promote the communication and cooperation between Mainland and Macau. Let’s work together for Macau’s prosperity and stability.
Now, may I propose a toast,
to the prosperity of our great motherland,
to the brilliant future of Macau,
to the family happiness of Macau compatriots,
to the good health and career of every guest,
Cheers!