MK sports who was newly elected as the chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, in Beijing on November 1, 2024. Photo: Xinhua News Agency" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-09-05/6402c075-7a50-4cb2-86d5-d1fce38f4940.png" />

President Xi Jinping meets with Sam Hou Fai, who was newly elected as the chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, in Beijing on November 1, 2024. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Sam Hou Fai in Beijing, who was newly elected as the chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and recently appointed by the central government.

The meeting took place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Witnessed by Xi, Premier Li Qiang presented Sam with a decree of the State Council appointing the latter as the sixth-term chief executive of the Macao SAR, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Xi congratulated Sam on his appointment, and commended him for holding a firm stance of loving the country and Macao, conscientiously fulfilling his duties, and making contributions to Macao's prosperity and stability during his long tenure as the president of Macao's Court of Final Appeal.

"In the election, you were nominated and elected by an overwhelming majority, which demonstrates the broad recognition and support from the society of Macao. The central authorities fully acknowledge this and have full trust in you," Xi said.

Sam won the election with 394 votes in favor out of 398 valid ballots. His tenure will start from December 20, 2024, according to a decision made at a State Council meeting presided over by Premier Li Qiang. The appointment was made in accordance with the Basic Law of the Macao SAR.

During the State Council meeting on October 25, Premier Li Qiang had said the Central People's Government will maintain its firm commitment to the letter and spirit of the "one country, two systems" principle, under which the people of Macao administer Macao with a high degree of autonomy.

Over the past two decades, Macao has had a very prominent and obvious feature - it has always adhered to the tradition and basic requirements of "loving the country and loving Macao," Li Xiaobing, a Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan affairs expert from Nankai University, told the Global Times.

Like Hong Kong, Macao is one of the cities in the Greater Bay Area. With its unique advantages, and continuous support from the central government, Macao is able to further integrate into the country's overall development in promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area and play a bigger role in connecting the country with Portuguese-speaking countries, Li said.

Meanwhile, the implementation of the "Belt and Road" initiative as well as the practice of building a community with a shared future for mankind will continue to provide new connotations and new directions for the practice of "one country, two systems" in the Macao SAR, Li Xiaobing said.

Sam was born in Zhongshan of South China's Guangdong Province in May 1962 and later moved to Macao. He joined the first group of Macao's judicial auditors in 1995, and was president of Macao's Court of Final Appeal before he ran for the election.

The public in Macao generally holds positive expectations and support for Sam taking on the role of the new Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Wong Teng-cheong, the head of Macao Monthly, told the Global Times on Friday. 

Sam has lived in Macao for 40 years, during which he served as the chief justice and president of Macao's Court of Final Appeal for 25 years, earning a good reputation and influence in the legal community of Macao. He has also observed the developmental trends of the SAR through the comprehensive perspectives of the previous five chief executives, from which he has gained insights into managing Macao, Wong said.

Sam was born in the mainland, graduated from Peking University and moved to Macao in 1986. He has personally experienced the rapid development of the motherland, which will help the city of Macao further integrate with the mainland, Wong said.