Macau unveils Five-Year Plan to diversify economy, renew old districts, raise non-gaming GDP to 60% | MACAU DAILY TIMES 澳門每日時報
Macau’s Third Five-Year Plan, unveiled by the chief executive and five secretaries yesterday, includes a city-wide building survey set to begin in the second half of this year as part of urban renewal efforts. The Third Five-Year Plan, unveiled yesterday by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai and his five secretaries, received 8,230 public opinions during a 40-day consultation – 2. 6 times more than the previous plan – and saw the final document expanded by 30,000 words. Describing the plan as “scientific, forward-looking, and feasible,” Sam noted that 40 research sessions and 36 studies had been completed to inform its drafting. […]
[Photo: Yuki Lei]Macau’s Third Five-Year Plan, unveiled by the chief executive and five secretaries yesterday, includes a city-wide building survey set to begin in the second half of this year as part of urban renewal efforts. The Third Five-Year Plan, unveiled yesterday by Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai and his five secretaries, received 8,230 public opinions during a 40-day consultation – 2. 6 times more than the previous plan – and saw the final document expanded by 30,000 words. Describing the plan as “scientific, forward-looking, and feasible,” Sam noted that 40 research sessions and 36 studies had been completed to inform its drafting. He stressed that the government would produce three lists covering key projects, responsibilities, and reforms to ensure effective implementation, adding: “A good plan that is not implemented is worse than no plan. ”Macau will focus on four major tasks over the next five years: appropriately diversifying the city’s economy through four major projects and a government-led fund, deepening Hengqin integration via technology and education, accelerating urban renewal, and expanding the China-Portuguese-Spanish platform to strengthen global connectivity, Sam’s report outlined. Building surveys to begin in second half of yearThe Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raymond Tam, said that “city health checks are an important prerequisite for urban renewal, mainly to understand the current condition of buildings, districts, and public facilities. We will carry out improvements based on the findings to promote old district renovation and functional restructuring. ” He said the government would gradually launch building surveys in older districts starting in the second half of this year, with pilot areas to be surveyed first before expanding the program. The government will prioritize the redevelopment of the seven-building cluster in Iao Hon as a flagship urban renewal project. Asked about other districts, Tam said: “Apart from the Iao Hon seven-building cluster, we will also promote redevelopment of individual buildings in need, such as the Toi San Government Workers’ Building and the former post office staff quarters at the Red Market – these are our key projects. ”On heritage conservation and revitalization, Tam stressed that “a protective renewal approach will be taken for the Ruins of St. Paul’s area, carried out in phases, with a small pilot zone selected for revitalization. ”He said the government would first advance a pilot project in a small area, and “once we have accumulated experience, we will extend it to other parts of the Ruins of St. Paul’s area and eventually to the entire historic city center. ” The “pilot first, then expand” model is designed to ensure that old district revitalization proceeds in an orderly manner while protecting the integrity of the World Heritage landscape. Tam said urban renewal would follow a model combining government guidance, market operation, district-specific approaches, integrated utilization, and a mix of redevelopment, revitalization, and area-based development. Through systematic city health checks, improved legal frameworks, and cross-departmental coordination, the government aims to gradually improve old district environments and enhance residents’ quality of life. “Once we have these studies, we can extend the renewal work further,” he concluded. New thinking todrive appropriateeconomic diversificationThe Third Five-Year Plan sets a target of raising the non-gaming sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to around 60%, though gaming tax revenue still accounts for 80 to 85% of government fiscal income. Asked about specific measures to reduce reliance on gaming taxes and which non-gaming sectors would be prioritized, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ng Wai Han, responded: “Promoting economic diversification is a key task of the Third Five-Year Plan and an important means of broadening public revenue. If we succeed, the ratio between gaming and non-gaming will see a clear adjustment, and we will no longer have the situation where people feel we are overly dependent on the gaming industry. ”She said the government would follow the “1+4” appropriate economic diversification strategy, consolidating and advancing integrated tourism and leisure with new thinking and greater intensity, while focusing on the development of key industries. The four major projects and a government-guided fund would serve as key drivers to “enhance Macau’s industrial competitiveness and economic momentum, while strengthening investment promotion to attract quality enterprises and talent to Macau. ”She stressed that beyond industrial development, the government would continue to improve the local business environment, refine economic laws and regulations, streamline administrative procedures, and deepen connectivity with the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, other mainland provinces and cities, and international markets. “This will ensure that during the Third Five-Year Plan period, economic diversification makes new and better progress. As emerging industries advance steadily, their contribution to fiscal revenue will gradually increase, and the ratio between gaming and non-gaming will undergo a notable shift. ”The Secretary concluded: “We hope to combine an enabling government with an effective market, leveraging the complementary roles of the government-guided fund and market expectation policies, while fully mobilizing the strength of enterprises, society, higher education institutions, and research bodies. ”Precision talent recruitment to drive industrial diversificationThe Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, O Lam, said that Macau’s talent recruitment efforts over the next five years would continue to be “targeted,” adding: “We will not recruit blindly, but will attract professionals in areas where Macau’s key industries face skill shortages. ”She explained that the existing talent recruitment system covers three categories, which will continue to be refined: high-end talent – those with international recognition such as Nobel laureates or Olympic gold medalists, as well as industry leaders willing to invest in Macau’s priority sectors; outstanding talent – professionals who can contribute to Macau’s industrial development without needing prior local employment; and advanced professional talent – those meeting industry needs who must be hired by a local employer. She stressed that future recruitment would be closely aligned with the “1+4” industrial strategy and the four major projects, focusing on integrated tourism and leisure, traditional Chinese medicine and health, modern finance, high technology, MICE and trade, and culture and sports. The goal is to fill local skill gaps and drive technology transfer and industrial upgrading. According to the Secretary, the government will also strengthen support for recruited talent, including housing, education, and healthcare, to enhance Macau’s appeal. At the same time, authorities will step up engagement with Macau residents studying or working abroad, with a returnee information platform covering business, employment, social security, taxation, education, welfare, transport, housing, culture, re-entry procedures, and case studies to encourage their return. Beyond external recruitment, the government will also invest in local youth development through initiatives such as the Campus Sports Elite Training Base and industry-academia-research collaboration programs to build a sustainable talent pipeline. National security pushThe Secretary for Security, Chan Tsz King, emphasized that safeguarding national security is the local government’s top priority. “There is no distinction between the two systems when it comes to safeguarding national security,” he said. “It is the foremost task of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) government. ”He noted that the very first principle of the Third Five-Year Plan is “to firmly uphold national sovereignty, security, and development interests. ” The government will pursue national security work across multiple fronts. “The first step is to improve the organizational structure and operational mechanisms of the SAR’s Committee for Safeguarding National Security, ensuring its efficient functioning,” he said. “The SAR government will resolutely implement the holistic approach to national security, adhering to the principle of central leadership and SAR responsibility, and will continue to refine the top-level framework for national security. ”Chan said the government would establish and strengthen interdepartmental coordination mechanisms and review systems across various sectors, while “firmly opposing any interference by external forces in Macau’s affairs. ”He also revealed that the government would formulate a “Master Plan for National Security Education (2027–2032)” under the Third Five-Year Plan. On public education, “the SAR government will continue to co-organize national security education activities with the Liaison Office each year, normalize national security publicity, explore new forms of expression, and place special emphasis on strengthening national security education for young people. ” He added that all policy portfolios would participate in the study and drafting of the master plan. Rule of law andexecutive-led systemin parallelThe Secretary for Administration and Justice, Wong Sio Chak, outlined the government’s governance logic in four key areas, saying: “We combine rule-based governance with proactive action, actively responding to socioeconomic changes; the rule of law is the foundation and safeguard of Macau’s social governance, and we must modernize the legal system; the executive-led system is an advantage of the SAR’s political structure and must be upheld; deepening public administration reform is key to enhancing governance efficiency. ”He elaborated that the first pillar involves combining legal governance with proactive action, responding to socioeconomic changes, improving governance methods, strengthening macro-level coordination, and building an efficient and proactive service-oriented government. The second pillar is the rule of law as the foundation of Macau’s social governance, requiring the modernization of the legal system to build a “rule-of-law Macau. ”The third pillar is upholding and refining the executive-led system to create strong governance synergy. The fourth pillar is deepening public administration reform as the key to improving governance efficiency, focusing on structures, personnel, and services, with the ultimate goal of achieving good governance and effective administration. On top-level design, the Secretary identified three priorities: upholding and refining the executive-led system to build a vertically and horizontally coordinated governance structure, fostering strong governance synergy and positive government-society interaction, while extending grassroots governance; building a modern rule-of-law Macau by modernizing the legal system, improving judicial mechanisms and efficiency, and deepening international legal cooperation; and deepening public administration reform across structures, personnel, and services to achieve good governance. Related