20th anniversary of Macao’s handover to People’s China

On December 20, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ho Lat-Seng, the new local chief executive since August last, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the handover of Macau.

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was attached to China following the Sino-Soviet agreement of 1984. At the end of the 99-year lease established after the defeat of China in the Sino-Japanese War, Great Britain thus end of its domination of the island for over a century and a half.

On December 20, 1999, the oldest European stronghold in Asia, Macao, returned to the fold of the Middle Empire, after 442 years of administration of Portugal.

Unlike Hong Kong, which has been agitated by anti-government demonstrations for several months, Macao has maintained cordial relations with China.

Although the Lusitanian city is not an international metropolis due to its size equivalent to that of a district of Hong Kong and its population 10 times smaller, Macao derives its economy from tourism and leisure linked to its activities as ” casino capital “which earn more in a week than Las Vegas in a month: 80% of local government revenue comes from casinos despite a fall during the Xi Jinping campaign in 2012.

The only Chinese region where gambling is legal and authorized, millions of Chinese tourists go there every year, especially the big players. As a result, many mega American casinos have settled in Macau including the Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts which are at the base of the biggest casino in the World, “The Venitian Macao” opened in 2004. The city is also a stage of the WPT (World Poker Tour) ..

Macau today has the third GDP per capita in the world, behind Luxembourg and Switzerland, but its wealth is very concentrated.

In 20 years, the GDP has multiplied by 8 (from 6.4 billion dollars in 1999 to more than 55 billion to date). The income per person, today 3rd in the world behind Luxembourg and Switzerland could soon exceed that of the latter and Qatar. For Beijing, it is a model of success.

Macao has also become one of the safest cities in the world to date. This is due to the introduction of the National Security Law and the anti-sedition amendment which came into force 10 years after the handover. In addition, civil society is more watched than in Hong Kong; the Chinese anthem is taken up in schools as well as the national flag showing a strong social roots of national identity. However, the territory remains considered by the US State Department as a paradise for money laundering and remains a hotbed of organized crime and prostitution.

“20 years after the handover of Macao, the company is stable and in harmony. Multicultures mix and shine … Macao has had remarkable success in all areas. Despite its small size, the territory has played an important role for the practice of “one country, two systems” … “, said President Xi Jinping at the commemoration ceremonies.

Macau is also famous around the world for its fireworks and the international competition organized each year in September and October over Lake Nam Van.

Another feature is added to Macau, the longest sea bridge in the world, inaugurated in October 2018 by President Xi. It links Macao, Hong Kong and Mainland China across the Pearl River estuary.

This 55 km long highway bridge overlooks the waters of the estuary and an underwater tunnel. It allows, by means of artificial islands and gigantic interchanges to connect, to the east, the Hong Kong island of Lantau with, to the west, the old Portuguese trading post of Macao and the city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province.

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VERONIQUE YANG

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