Rui Cunha, one of the co-founders of Macao C and C Advogados (lawyers) Holdings, told Xinhua that with the signing of agreementswith the largest law office of Portugal PLMJ and those from Guangdong and Shanghai, C and C has become a bridge between law offices in Portugal and those in the Chinese mainland.

Cunha, who arrived in Macao in 1981 and opened the law office 20 years ago, said that Macao has seen rapid economic growth and become an economic and commercial platform between the Chinese mainland and the Portuguese-speaking countries, thanks to the policies made by the SAR government and the strong support from the central government. He considered that "C and C grows with thedevelopment of the Macao SAR."

According to Cunha, the success achieved by C and C demonstrates that all communities and associations in Macao, including those of Portuguese residents, can benefit from the policies made by the SAR government.

Cunha said that the relations between the Chinese and Portuguese communities are much better than they were before Macao's return to motherland, adding that "the Macao SAR has set a goodexample of co-development of various races and communities."

The existence of "Macaenses" is a result of the history of Macao. "Macaense" is a Portuguese expression for Macao-born Portuguese or Macao-born mixed-blood of Portuguese and Chinese or of Portuguese and other Asian ethnic groups.

Before Macao's return to motherland in 1999, some Macao-born Portuguese left their home. With the development of the SAR, most of them returned.

Augusto Chan Lizardo, Director of the Association of Macao-bornPortuguese, said that the number of Macao-born Portuguese in the SAR has exceeded 10,000, equivalent to the number before Macao's return.

"This was mainly due to the stability, the economic prosperity,the harmonious society, and the successful implementation of the 'One Country, Two Systems' principle," he said.

Chan said that the SAR government is concerned about the life of the Macao-born Portuguese and the activities organized by theircommunities. The SAR government provided the Association of Macao-born Portuguese with offices and financial aid for their fitment, and Chief Executive of the Macao SAR Edmund Ho Hau Wah appeared frequently in the activities organized by their communities.

Most Portuguese residents and Macao-born Portuguese are satisfied with the government's measures to safeguard local historical and cultural heritage, including a lot of Portuguese cultural relics and heritage, such as the Ruins of St. Paul's Church and the local Portuguese-style dance. A Portuguese residentin Macao said that the SAR government and the Chinese people respect history and will have brilliant future.

At a recent gathering of Macao-born Portuguese associations, Edmund Ho Hau Wah stressed their love for Macao, saying that in the past five years, the Macao-born Portuguese, together with other Macao residents, participated in the course of "Macao peoplegoverning Macao" and Macao's implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, which has laid a solid foundation for the future development of the Macao SAR.