On the afternoon of 13 September, 2002, Mr. Wan Yongxiang, the new Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region, called on Mr. Ho Hau Wah, Chief Executive of the Macao SAR at the Government headquarters. Commissioner Wan conveyed Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan’s cordial greetings to Mr. Ho who thanked the Minister for his greetings and welcomed Commissioner Wan to begin his work in Macao. They had talks in a cordial atmosphere.

Commissioner Wan said that the principles of “one country, two systems”, “Macao people administering Macao” and a high degree of autonomy had been fully implemented here in  Macao SAR since the establishment of the SAR more than two years ago. The Macao SAR Government, headed by Chief Executive Ho, had led Macao residents forward in a pioneering spirit and made remarkable achievements after overcoming various difficulties. Over the past two years, the Central Government had given full support to the Macao SAR Government to administrate the region in accordance with the Basic Law. The Central Government and the mainland had always been a strong backup for the Macao SAR. Facts proved that the Macao compatriots were fully capable of administering Macao. The successful implementation of the principle of “one country, two system” in the Macao SAR was not only consistent with immediate and long-term interests of Macao and the mainland, but also of a far-reaching impact on the final reunification of China.

Commissioner Wan also said that the Central Government and the Foreign Ministry had always attached great importance to the Macao-related foreign affairs handled by the Commissioner’s Office. We in the Office had explored and accumulated some successful experiences in the past and had established an effective working mechanism with the Macao SAR Government in the spirit of sincere cooperation, mutual-respect and mutual-support. The Commissioner further said that during his tenure of office, the Commissioner’s Office shall continue to implement persistently the principle of “one country, two systems”, adhere strictly to the Basic Law, handle properly foreign affairs matters relating to the SAR in a pragmatic and flexible way and work hard to create more favourable conditions for the further development of the Macao SAR’s external relations with the outside world. He was fully confident that the Commissioner’s Office would continue to enjoy the support and assistance of the Chief Executive and Macao SAR Government.

Mr. Ho spoke highly of the work done by the Commissioner’s Office in the foreign affairs field since Macao returned to China. He was confident that the good working relations based on mutual-respect and close cooperation established by the Macao SAR Government and the Commissioner’s Office in their joint efforts to implement the principle of “one country, two systems” would be further strengthened. He assured the Commissioner that during his tenure of office, the SAR Government would, as always, provide strong support to his Office.