President Hu's Macao tour fruitful: officials

President Hu Jintao's 29-hour Macao tour was tightly scheduled and fruitful, said a senior Hong Kong and Macao affairs official Monday.

"President Hu attended 16 public activity programs and made six important speeches during his stay in Macao," said Chen Zuo'er, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, who came with President Hu to China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to attend a celebration gathering marking the 5th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland.

Speaking at a press conference held here shortly after President Hu left Macao, Chen said that during his stay in Macao, the president attended the celebration gathering and the inauguration of the second-term government of the Macao SAR. He met on separate occasions with chief executives of the Hong Kong and Macao SARs and principal officials of the two SAR governments as well as celebrities from all walks of life in Macao. He also went to a school and a family to visit ordinary people in Macao.

Chen said President Hu has acquired a good impression from his Macao tour, adding that some 500 journalists from 84 media organizations had registered to report the president's first trip to the Macao SAR.

"President Hu fully affirmed the historic achievements made by the Macao SAR government headed by Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah and Macao people, and held out a hope on the future development of Macao," said Chen.

He said that the president spoke from a strategic point of view on the "one country, two systems" principle by saying that it is an unprecedented undertaking.

The president stressed the importance of maintaining a harmonious and united society in Macao, and said that the SAR government should make efforts to further improve the level of governance, said Chen.

Chen said he held that Hu's important remarks were made from the pragmatic point of view on the practices of China's two SARs. The guiding thought, which can be applied in both of the SARs, embodies the new generation of the Chinese leadership has a complete understanding and grasp of the Hong Kong and Macao affairs.

"The thought would have a far-reaching significance and influence on the future development of Hong Kong and Macao," said Chen.

The president reaffirmed the aspiration, summed up the experiences of the country's two SARs, and expressed high expectations of the future development of the two SARs during his two-day trip to Macao, said Chen.

Bai Zhijian, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, who was present at the press conference, said that Macao's current success was manifested by the effective administration of the Macao SAR government, a fast growing economy, and a stable and developing society, with people living in peace and contentment.