President Xi Jinping commended Macao on Thursday for making remarkable achievements over the past five years despite extraordinary challenges, saying that the special administrative region is blessed with the opportunities and abilities to achieve greater success with strong support from the motherland.

Xi, who is on the second day of his third visit to the region as Chinese president, said at a welcoming banquet that Macao's progress is the result of the hard work and all-out efforts of people of all sectors united under the leadership of the SAR government.

The achievements are attributable to the full and faithful implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, to the vigorous support of the central government and the mainland, and to the active involvement of the international community, he said.

"I have full confidence that with the strong backing of the great motherland and through solid and hard work, the Macao SAR will build on its achievements to make a new leap and attain greater success," Xi told an audience of more than 600 people, including Sam Hou-fai, incoming chief executive of the Macao SAR, who will be inaugurated on Friday.

Noting that the past five years have been extraordinary in the history of Macao's development, given the global transformation and COVID-19 pandemic, Xi said that people of all sectors in Macao have risen to the challenges, made results-oriented efforts, ensured a steady economic recovery and achieved progress in all undertakings.

Last year, propelled by the strong resurgence in tourism, Macao's economy grew 80.5 percent year-on-year. In the first three quarters of this year, Macao's GDP increased 11.5 percent year-on-year to reach 301 billion patacas ($38 billion), data from Macao's Statistics and Census Service showed.

Highlighting the SAR's new progress in appropriate economic diversification, Xi said the region today enjoys a stronger foundation for economic cooperation, and its international influence has significantly increased.

Xi praised the SAR government for taking concrete steps to deliver tangible benefits to residents in areas that directly impact their lives, including housing, healthcare, education and elderly care.

"With public well-being better secured and social undertakings making all-around progress, Macao has today become a pleasant and favorable place to live and work in," he said.

Xi expressed his expectations for Macao to proactively align itself with national development strategies and seek to play a bigger role on the international stage. He also expressed the hope that Macao will uphold the underlying values of love for the Chinese nation and love for Macao while embracing greater openness, inclusiveness and solidarity.

"The people of Macao are never short on the can-do spirit," Xi said, urging the SAR to demonstrate stronger resolve and greater courage in reform and innovation.

Macao SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng said in his welcoming speech that Macao has always been the apple of the eye of the motherland, which is the staunchest supporter for the prosperity and stability of the region.

"As a member of the big family of our motherland, we must shoulder our responsibilities and break new ground as we embark on a new journey in the new era," Ho said.

Stephen Morgan, rector of the University of Saint Joseph in Macao, who attended the banquet, said that President Xi's visit to Macao during the 25th anniversary of its return to the motherland gives the region a great national and international profile.

Morgan, who has lived in the city for nearly seven years, said he has seen how well the "one country, two systems" arrangement works for the benefit of the people of Macao as well as the people of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

"I hope that President Xi's visit to Macao and the inauguration of the sixth-term government of the Macao SAR will mark an exciting new phase in the history of the city," he said.

Ho Chi-un, deputy head of the Macao Ethnic Minorities Friendship Association, said the SAR's social prosperity and stability are proof of the successful practice of "one country, two systems".

"It is believed that in the days to come, Macao will usher in a brighter future within the embrace of our motherland, and write a new chapter in the successful implementation of 'one country, two systems' with Macao characteristics," Ho Chi-un wrote in an opinion published on Thursday in a local newspaper.

After the welcoming banquet, Xi attended a gala marking the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland at the Macao East Asian Games Dome.

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