Delivering the 2026 Policy Address, Sam acknowledged the challenging international environment, marked by “complexity and volatility” and rising unilateralism, but stressed that Macau’s economy is transitioning from recovery to “high-quality development,” showing a “stable and promising growth trend.”
Key Policy Directions and Objectives
Sam outlined four core guiding principles for the 2026 government action: deepening administrative reform, further promoting diversification, punctually improving public welfare, and integrating into the national development context.
The main objectives for the year are to achieve: sustained economic recovery and obtaining concrete results in diversification, including positive GDP growth; new progress in the Hengqin Cooperation Zone construction and deepening the Macau-Hengqin integration; ensuring local employment and effectively supporting vulnerable groups; and advancing administrative and legal reform to boost governance efficiency and strengthen national security.
“To eliminate effectively risks and respond to the challenges, we must be prepared to act and cultivate opportunities in the midst of adversities, so as to start a new chapter in a context of fast changes,” Sam stated.
He also reiterated confidence in Macau’s future, underpinned by the “One Country, Two Systems” principle and national support.
“We have total confidence in the future development of Macau, with all these attributes, we will certainly transform the challenges into opportunities and initiate a new era for the MSAR”
Administrative Reform and Governance Efficiency
A major priority is to tackle long-standing bureaucratic issues to create an “upright and efficient government.”
Sam announced plans to “accelerate the reform ‘simplify, decentralize, and optimize’,” which will involve reorganizing functions and organizational structures of public services, including transferring some responsibilities from the Municipal Affairs Bureau to other departments and restructuring the Monetary Authority of Macau.
The reform also includes simplifying licensing procedures to “release and encourage the socio-economic vitality of Macau,” and promoting e-governance by upgrading the Macau Single Account and expanding cross-border administrative services in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Focus on Economic Diversification
The policy speech heavily stressed the necessity of successful economic diversification under the “1+4” strategy (integrated tourism/leisure + four emerging industries: Traditional Chinese Medicine, modern finance, high-tech, and culture/sports).
The government will prioritize gaming sector supervision, reviewing the compliance of gaming concessionaires with their investment and social responsibility commitments for the 2023-2025 period, urging them to implement both gaming and non-gaming investments.
Another key focus is the creation of a government industrial fund and a guidance fund, co-funded by public and social capital, to invest in projects that support diversification and accelerate the formation of priority emerging industries. For tourism expansion, efforts will focus on attracting international tourists, especially from Northeast and Southeast Asia and Portuguese-speaking countries; to this end, a new government office for economy, trade, tourism, and culture is planned for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Finally, in terms of SME support, new financial aid programs and digitization plans will be launched to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) specialize and expand into the GBA market.
National Security and Social Stability
Sam also underscored that national security is the “fundamental basis” for the stable implementation of “One Country, Two Systems.” The government plans to strengthen the national security defense system, including starting work on a law for the Macau SAR National Security Defense Commission, and will initiate a public consultation in 2026 for a new law on the prevention, investigation, and repression of terrorism. Additionally, the government will establish a Working Group for the Coordination of Patriotic Education of Youth to strengthen the foundation of “love for the Motherland and for Macau.”
