He Linping, People’s Daily
“The biggest secret of Macao’s success is itsendeavor to stay committed to the basis of ‘one country’,well leverage the benefits of ‘two systems’, actively integrate into the national development, and madeself-progress out of the support of its motherland,”said Xu Jianhua, head of Department of Sociology of University of Macau, at a recent symposium.
During the past 20 years since the return of Macao to the motherland, the region has enjoyed rapid economic development, continuous improvement in people’s livelihood, and long-term social stability.
The GDP of Macao has increased from over 50 billion patacas (about $6.2 billion) in 1999 to more than 440 billion patacas in 2018, while the per capita GDP of the region has risen from 120,000 patacas in 1999 to 660,000 patacas in 2018, a vivid example of leapfrog development.
Theprinciple of “one country, two systems” has thrived with new dynamism in Macao since the region’s return to China, and experts attribute such success to Macao’s active integration into the national development, as well as its strict observation of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR)
Over the past 40 years, China’s Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR have taken active part in the country’sreform and opening-up and modernization, and meanwhile benefited greatly from the spectacular opportunities generated by China’s remarkable development.
Proactively integrating its own development into the development of the country generates important driving force for long-term prosperity and stability of Macao, and acting in strict adherence to the Constitution and the Basic Law has fundamentally guaranteed the development of rule of law of Macao, remarked Lin Wu, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and director general of the Institute of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Development Studies, Sun Yat-sen University.
Integrated development and cooperation with the Chinese mainland is one of the most remarkable achievements of Macao since its return to China, Xu said at the symposium.
“Macao’s great achievementsare the results of the region’s efforts to venerate the order based on the Constitution and the Basic Law, maintain and carry forward the excellent tradition of loving the motherland and Macao, build and adhere to the consensus about improving people’s livelihood by developing economy, and consolidate and promote the advantages of its well-established history and culture,” Deng Zhonghua, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, explained at the symposium.
According to experts, with the support of the Chinese central government, Macao SAR has well served as a bridgein attracting foreign investment and boosting the “going global” strategy since its return to the motherland, playing an important and unique role in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Besides, the Constitution and the Basic Law of Macao SAR have jointly formed the constitutional basis of Macao SAR, which not only serves as the legal foundation of the democracy and autonomy of Macao, but also effectively stimulates the dynamism of Macao’s economy, politics, and culture.
The ongoing construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which represents a new endeavor to boost the integration of Hong Kong and Macao into the development of the country and further promote the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle, enjoys great prospects.
Wu Mei, an associate professor at the Department of Communication of University of Macau, has found through sampling statistics that primary and secondary school students of Macao have clear and objective knowledge and high level emotional identity of the history and culture of China, and showed behavioral intention of integrating into their motherland.
To draw on the successful experiences of the practices of “one country, two systems” principle in Macao and further enrich and develop the principle is the new situationand task for the development of the region in the new era.
“The glorious future of Macao is worth expecting,” said Zhang Yong, deputy directorof the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, suggesting that relevant parties should actively contribute their wisdom to the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle so that it can sail forward steadily.
澳门：融入国家发展大局前景广阔
人民日报记者贺林平
“坚守‘一国’之本，善用‘两制’之利，积极融入国家发展大局，背靠祖国推动自身发展，是澳门成功的最大经验。”澳门大学社会学系主任徐建华近日在一场学术研讨会上表示。
澳门回归20年以来，经济快速增长，民生持续改善，社会长期保持稳定，本地生产总值由1999年的500多亿澳门元增长到2018年的4400多亿澳门元，实现了跨越式发展，人均GDP由1999年的12万澳门元增长到2018年的66万澳门元。相关专家学者普遍认为，正是得益于积极主动融入国家发展大局，严格按照宪法和基本法办事，“一国两制”在回归20年的澳门不断焕发蓬勃生机。
40年来，港澳一直积极参与国家改革开放和现代化建设，国家的快速发展也为港澳发展提供了难得的机遇。全国政协委员、中山大学粤港澳发展研究院理事长林武发言时表示，积极主动融入国家发展大局，是澳门保持长期繁荣稳定的重要动力；严格依照宪法和基本法办事，是澳门法治发展的根本保证。
徐建华指出，与大陆融合作是澳门回归以来最引人瞩目的五大成就之一。国务院港澳事务办公室副主任邓中华表示：“澳门之所以能够取得举世瞩目的成就，主要是得益于以下四个方面：一是尊重和维护宪法和基本法规定的宪制秩序，二是保持和发展爱国爱澳的优良传统，三是形成和坚守发展经济改善民生的社会共识，四是巩固和发展悠久的历史文化优势。”
有学者表示，澳门回归以来，在中央政府的支持下，澳门特区发挥“引进来”和“走出去”相结合的桥梁作用，通过中葡合作“一平台三中心”等建设，为“一带一路”建设和粤港澳大湾区建设发挥了重要而独特的作用。此外，宪法和澳门基本法共同构成了澳门特别行政区的宪制基础，既为澳门的民主自治提供了法律基础，又大大地调动了澳门的经济、政治、文化活力。正在进行的粤港澳大湾区建设，也成为推动港澳融入国家发展大局，推动“一国两制”事业发展的新实践，前景广阔。
澳门大学传播系副教授吴玫通过抽样统计的方法，发现了澳门中小学生对国家历史文化有着客观清晰认知、高度情感认同和融入国家的主动行为意愿。
如何进一步总结澳门“一国两制”的成功经验，丰富发展“一国两制”理论，是新时期助力澳门发展的新形势和新任务。“澳门明天的辉煌更值得期待。”全国人大常委会港澳基本法委员会副主任张勇倡议，“希望各方积极贡献智慧，为‘一国两制’伟大事业的行稳致远作出应有的贡献。”
