CE promises 24-hour border crossing

2014-3-10

From：Macau Daily Times

The Chief Executive Chui Sai On vowed to enhance the region’s competitiveness, to facilitate the cultivation of talent and to develop a diversified economy.
The promises were made last Friday when the CE concluded his visit to Beijing for the opening of the First Plenary Session of the 12th National People’s Congress.
Chui said that in the meeting the Secretary of the Guangdong CPC Provincial Committee Mr Hu Chunhua, and the Governor of Guangdong Province Mr Zhu Xiaodan, both discussed the problem of clearance, the new cross boundary passage, and the application of the free trade zone.
“Guangdong and Macau are working together to prolong the operating hours of the borders to eventually achieve a 24-hour border crossing. Both sides are working to provide a more efficient passage for people that cross the border and hope to achieve a single use e-channel check to cross both sides within this year,” he added.
Addressing the working report of the Central Government, Chui said that enhancing the region’s competitiveness was one of the key points mentioned in the meeting and he had high regard for these comments.
Premier Li Keqiang’s first work report indicated further cooperation between the mainland and the two SARs. And the National Development and Reform Commission have also said it will support Macau to diversify its economy.
According to a press release issued by the Government Information Bureau, during the press conference the CE mentioned that the government has been making a great effort in diversifying the economy and creating new growth despite the many problems that have been encountered. In the future, the MSAR aims to make good use of the advantage of positioning Macau as a world tourism leisure center and the business and trading platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, according to Chui.
When asked if MSAR would seek more land to build residential units for Macau residents following the new campus of the University of Macau on Hengqin as a model, Chui said they have been cooperating with Guangdong and Zhuhai to explore the possibility of obtaining more land for Macau.
He added that the government would follow up on the airing rights in the mainland for the local public TV station TDM, after meeting with the Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee Liu Qibao.

The CE also told the media that he did not discuss the upcoming CE election with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their encounter before the opening ceremony of the National People’s Congress (NPC). “[The meeting] is only ceremonial,” Chui claimed. “We greeted each other during the meeting before the opening of NPC but we did not discuss any work-related or election-related issue.” The CE continued to say that he was “moved and motivated” by the support from Macau delegates of NPC and Political Consultative Conference, as well as representative of community organizations in Macau for his re-election, saying that he “will do [his] best”. Chui Sai On stressed that he will follow the prescribed order and will not take advantage of his position to carry out any activities in advance.

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