Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Tuesday delivered the policy address for the fiscal year 2022, stressing efforts to strengthen the epidemic prevention system and promote the stable recovery of Macao's economy in the coming year.

Ho said that thanks to the support of the central government and the concerted efforts of Macao residents, the SAR government carried out various arrangements in the 2021 policy address, achieving general economic recovery despite fluctuations, and social harmony and stability in the past year.

The seventh Legislative Assembly election took place smoothly, implementing the principle of "patriots administering Macao," said Ho.

Looking into 2022, the chief executive said the coming year is expected to be better than 2021 for Macao in terms of economic and social development, but complexities still exist, requiring prudence and proaction.

Noting that the motherland is the strong backing for Macao's development, Ho said Macao should be integrated into national development strategies against the backdrop of the country's 14th Five-Year Plan and seek more development opportunities and space by actively participating in the building of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

In 2022, the Macao SAR government will strive to raise the vaccination rate of COVID-19 among residents in order to build up herd immunity and take multiple measures to promote economic recovery and guarantee employment, Ho said.

The SAR will also strive to nurture and develop industries to speed up appropriate economic diversification in 2022 while consolidating and improving traditional advantageous industries so as to build an industrial structure that is appropriately diversified and sustainable.

Efforts will be made to develop a comprehensive tourism and leisure industry combining the elements of food, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment, medical treatment and sports, and nurture and develop the "big health" industry starting with the research and manufacturing of traditional Chinese medicine, according to the chief executive.

In September, the central authorities issued a general plan for building the cooperation zone in Hengqin, which is located in Zhuhai city, Guangdong Province, just adjacent to Macao, as a major arrangement to enrich the practice of "one country, two systems" in Macao and boost the SAR's appropriate economic diversification.

Ho said in his address that Macao will advance the construction of the cooperation zone in Hengqin in a pragmatic manner to gradually implement reform and opening-up measures, pledging to speed up the drafting of major supporting policies, including special measures to relax market access in the cooperation zone, as well as a list of the first batch of authorized items and industries of interest.

He also said Macao will earnestly safeguard national security and further improve the legal and institutional guarantee for the principle of "patriots administering Macao," improve supporting legislation, step up law enforcement, enhance liaison and cooperation with cities in the mainland to prevent and deter acts endangering national security, and guard against interference or penetration of external forces.

Macao will also step up cooperation and exchange with the countries and regions along the Belt and Road in education, tourism, medical treatment, sports and culture and fully play its role of a platform linking China and Portuguese-speaking countries, Ho added.

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