Macao eyes five-year plan for growth

All sectors of the Macao Special Administrative Region have been urged to grasp the essence of the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in implementing the nation's latest strategic plans concerning Macao and aligning the city's development with the national agenda.

The plenary session, held from Oct 20 to 23, adopted the recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for national economic and social development.

A publicity delegation sent by the central government organized two seminars in Macao on Saturday to discuss the spirit of the fourth plenum. The seminars — one held in the morning and another in the afternoon — drew more than 1,200 participants, including government officials, lawmakers, judicial officers and community leaders.

Addressing the morning session, Zheng Xincong, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, urged participants to use the event to unite and lead all sectors of society in learning and promoting the spirit of the plenary session.

He also encouraged the public to gain a deeper understanding of the major tasks and significant opportunities presented by the 15th Five-Year Plan, and to further integrate into the national development framework.

Macao Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai said the nation will continue to "write new chapters" in economic development and social stability during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, providing broad space and greater opportunities for Macao, particularly in its moderately diversified economic development, people's livelihoods and public administrative reforms.

He said Macao will seize the opportunities presented by the 15th Five-Year Plan while advancing the formulation of its own Third Five-Year Plan for Social and Economic Development (2026-2030) to promote growth.

Members of the publicity delegation included Hou Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhu Weidong, deputy director of both the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group.

Hou outlined the strategic tasks and major measures for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, particularly the national goal of building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into an international science and innovation hub.

He said Macao can integrate its strengths in traditional Chinese medicine, integrated circuits, space science, as well as life and health sciences with Guangdong's advantages in infrastructure and application scenarios to promote high-quality development.

Hou also suggested that Macao train more talent through cross-border collaborations and make use of its ties with Portuguese-speaking economies to attract global professionals.

Zhu said Macao should ensure that the objectives of its Third Five-Year Plan align with the recommendations of the nation's 15th Five-Year Plan, and continue to highlight its roles as "one center, one platform and one base," while promoting moderate economic diversification.

Members of the delegation visited the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin on Sunday to learn about the region's development.

The team will host seminars in Hong Kong on Tuesday on the essence of the fourth plenary session.