"Macao has been successfully governed by Macao people, which is a proof of the success of the China's 'one country, two systems' principle," said visiting Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio in Macao on January 16.

Sampaio arrived in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Sunday afternoon, kicking off his two-day visit here. He met with Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Edmund Ho Hau Wah in the evening.

Sampaio told Ho that he was glad to see the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of the Macao SAR being fully implemented in Macao over the past five years.

He praised Ho's performance during his first five-year term as Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, saying that it was "one of the reasons for Macao's success."

Sampaio said that the Guangdong, Macao and Portugal Economic Cooperation Forum 2005, which will open on Jan. 17 in Macao will be a new proof of Macao's role as a platform for exchanges between Portuguese and Chinese enterprises.

Ho said that he was glad to meet Sampaio in Macao, and congratulated him on his successful China visit.

Sampaio is on an official visit to China from Jan. 11 to 17 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao. He has been to Beijing and Shanghai. Macao is the last stop on his China visit.

Sampaio visited China in January 1997, and he attended the ceremony of China resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Macao in 1999.

Source: Xinhua