– Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Macau for the third time during his presidency. Compared to his last visit in 2019, how is the political situation in the country?
Cátia Miriam Costa – We’re at a different juncture, both internally and externally. After the pandemic and two ongoing military conflicts, the international environment has become less predictable and more conflictual, along with growing competition between China and the United States of America.
On the domestic side, there are also new challenges, such as maintaining economic growth and social development. After the eradication of extreme poverty, there is a need to create a resilient economy that can respond to greater international competitiveness and the completion of major projects such as the New Silk Road and the Greater Bay Area in which, more indirectly or directly, Macau has a role to play.
It’s clear that for [Macau] to be a platform there has to be a deep understanding with the Central Government, because diplomatic contacts are part of the exercise
As a service-exporting territory, especially in the area of tourism and entertainment, it is particularly exposed to changes in China’s external relationship, but also to the country’s well-being, since it receives mostly visitors from the mainland. These factors meant that the reception for President Xi Jinping took place in a different environment from 2019, in addition to all the turbulence experienced in Hong Kong, which was also reflected in political decisions in Macau.
With the situation calmed down, Macau is receiving more attention, as it has become an example of China’s ability to fully implement the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’. If you talk to mainland Chinese and ask them to compare the two regions or where they prefer to go now, they tend to point to Macau as their preferred destination. The MSAR has gained a different visibility and also its own role in Beijing’s eyes.
– We are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty. How do you see the MSAR today, so many years on from 1999?
C.M.C. – For visitors from abroad, the landscape has changed most of all. Cotai and the impact of the entertainment and gambling industry have grown to an unimaginable extent. But the construction of more bridges, changing the connectivity infrastructure between the SAR and mainland China, also has an impact on this view from the outside. Another aspect that is no less relevant is the people. Macau’s human landscape has changed, with more Chinese from Mainland China and also with Mandarin being heard in streets where Cantonese used to predominate.
Of course, for a resident, the changes are greater, with the progressive transformation of the MSAR, its integration into the Greater Bay Area project, the new rules for access to permanent residency or the economic diversification that lies ahead. However, these changes have not stripped Macau of its specificity.
I still see the MSAR as a territory with enormous cultural and social wealth, comfortable for different communities to experience and, above all, the meeting point par excellence between West and East and a fundamental bridge between the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere, Portuguese, and the most widely spoken language in the northern hemisphere, Mandarin.
– Do you believe that the MSAR can have the platform position that the Central Government has given it? Are there still elements missing?
CMC – The MSAR has the historical, cultural and social position to be the connecting platform, especially for Portuguese-speaking countries, but not only. Latin America could be another region of the world that Macau is close to, not only because Brazil is part of South America, but because there has been a historical connection between these territories, for example through the transportation of Chinese emigrants to Latin America.
Portugal has yet to decide what role this region can play in its foreign policy
It’s clear that in order to be a platform there has to be a deep understanding with the Central Government, because diplomatic contacts are part of the functions of a platform. Once this part has been clarified and Macau is involved in a major economic project, it has all the conditions in place to use the institutions at its disposal, such as Forum Macau, to assert its role, which until now it has done hesitantly.
– Can the Portuguese community still play an important role for Macau and China?
C.M.C. – Although it has decreased numerically, the Portuguese community has a certain diversity and is represented in various sectors of society. I believe that this potential could increase if we had a presence in private initiative projects; it would be a change from the Portuguese administration’s past.
It’s clear that in order to maintain Macau’s specificity, we need a Macanese community that is active and integrated into the various dimensions of local society, along with a Portuguese community that is also participative. The presence of these two communities is proof of the persistence of different characteristics and the richness they bring to this territory of China. Naturally, both communities, especially the Portuguese, are feeling the change of times and are in a phase of adaptation. However, I don’t think that this role is in any way exhausted and that it can’t be directed to new areas.
– Are there conditions for the current political system to continue after 2049?
C.M.C. – Macau will undergo progressive economic and political integration with Mainland China, as the agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the People’s Republic of China envisaged. The city is becoming more and more connected, not only physically through new infrastructures, but also through the opening up of easy passage channels. The movement of people, the ease of getting around, especially in the Great Bay, will certainly change the face of the city even more.
It seems difficult to maintain the full continuation of the current system [after 2049], unless it proves to be particularly profitable for China, namely in terms of international notoriety
However, there is a possibility that China will find it interesting to maintain some characteristics, which could range from greater autonomy within the political framework of governance, to a commitment to maintaining the teaching of Portuguese as a differentiating element.
It would be interesting to know the plans of the next Macao SAR government, to see to what extent it will be able to transmit local sensitivities to the central government. But (…) it seems difficult to me to maintain the full continuation of the current system, unless it proves to be particularly profitable for China, particularly in terms of international notoriety.
– Is Portugal taking advantage of its historical connection with Macau or has it forgotten about it?
C.M.C. – There is a diffuse memory, due to the distance and the fact that few Portuguese have been to Macau. At the same time, there is a certain nostalgia and an expectation of finding in Macau an Asian extension of Portugal. In contemporary times, Macau is unknown and Portugal has yet to decide what role this region could play in its foreign policy. This connection has not been fostered due to the political and social distance between Portugal and Macau. It’s clear that the integration of Macau into the Greater Bay Area could awaken some interest and a different look at this small region, at least among Portuguese businesspeople. However, this should be accompanied by a political outlook that understands the path that Macau has taken in relation to Lusophony.
