With the full support from China's central government, Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) overcame various difficulties in the past nine years, said the SAR's Chief Executive Ho Hau Wah at a cocktail reception held on Saturday.

Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah (1st L) addresses a cocktail party marking the ninth anniversary of the founding of Macao SAR, in Macao, south China, Dec. 20, 2008. [Xinhua/Zhang Jiawei]

The reception was part of the activities on Saturday that marked the ninth anniversary of the SAR's establishment. Nearly 1, 000 officials and dignitaries from all walks of the local society attended the reception.

Delivering his speech at the annual reception, Ho said that the central government has provided key support to the SAR at every crucial juncture of Macao's nine-year development, which "gave us great confidence and courage".

One day before the SAR's ninth anniversary, the central government announced the nine measures aiming to boost Macao's economic development in six areas including financial cooperation between the mainland and the SAR, infrastructure projects, cooperation between Macao and China's Guangdong province, helping Macao's small and medium sized enterprises, promoting the overall opening-up of the mainland's service sector to Macao, and ensuring Macao's stable food supply.

By sticking to the "one country, two systems" policy and "Macao people governing Macao" principle, the SAR "will certainly enter the glorious moment of its tenth anniversary next year with fruitful results and hopes of development," Ho said

Despite the gloom of global financial crisis, the SAR was still more than willing to celebrate its ninth birthday. Aside from the flag-hoisting ceremony and the reception in the morning, a show featuring star singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan were staged in the afternoon, and local civilians also participated in a number of activities in the neighborhood to celebrate the anniversary.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2008)