A senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official commended the Macao Special Administrative Region's (SAR)ascending international reputation and expanding foreign exchanges over the past five years after its return to China.

Wan Yongxiang, Commissioner of the Foreign Ministry in the Macao SAR, made the remarks in days ahead of Macao's celebrations of the fifth anniversary of the founding of the SAR.

In an interview with reporters from state press recently, Wan said that over the past five years, the Macao SAR has signed 20 bilateral accords in fields of civil aviation, judicial assistance,visa-free, investment protection with foreign countries and regions and the drafting of another 27 accords are in the drawing board. A total of 62 countries and regions have granted Macao visa-free status, and 68 countries have set up consulates overseeing Macao affairs.

The Commissioner's Office was inaugurated in Macao upon the founding of the SAR on Dec. 20, 1999. The office deals with the foreign affairs affecting the Macao SAR, which are the responsibilities of the Central People's Government, and coordinates the handling of matters concerning the Macao SAR's participation in relevant international organizations and conferences, the establishment of offices by international organizations and agencies in the Macao SAR, and inter-governmental conferences held in the Macao SAR.

Wan, who became Commissioner of Foreign Ministry in the Macao SAR in 2002, said that the Macao SAR has signed 42 international pacts and taken parts in 11 inter-governmental organizations and 29 non-governmental organizations under the name of "China Macao."

The veteran diplomat said that Macao's Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah has become a popular figure in the international arena.He has made official visits to Portugal, France, Belgium, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Mozambique, the European Union and Germany after he took the post.

"The chief executive's visits have reinforced Macao's foreign exchanges with the countries, which helped further explore Macao'sinternational cooperation scope in economy, trade, culture and technology," said Wan.

The Macao SAR government has set up trade representative offices in Portugal, the European Union and the World Trade Organization. Its tourist representative offices were set up in many countries in the Asian Pacific region and Europe.

Foreign leaders including Czech President Vaclav Klaus, Mongolian President Nachagyn Bagabandy as well as over 20 ministerial-level officials from a dozen of countries visited Macao over the past five years.

With the increasing foreign exchanges, Macao's trade cooperation with foreign countries have been much improved compared with that before the hand-over, said Wan quoting the 2003export volume of 20.7 billion patacas (2.6 billion US dollars), up9.4 percent from 2002. The growth momentum is expected to continuethis year as the economy has jumped a fast track.

Wan said that it is foreseeable that the foreign investment in Macao's gaming, convention, amusement sectors will continue to grow. He attributed it to the SAR's economic vigor and successful foreign exchanges and cooperation.

The diplomat said that it was a wise decision for the SAR government to designate "befriending the distant and in harmony with the neighbor" as the basic foreign exchange policy.

It is known that the narrow space and lack of resources limit the development of Macao, which occupies an area of merely 27 square kilometers. Yet the foreign exchange policy Macao adopts has created miracles, said Wan.

The strategy has helped open up the SAR's economic horizon by reinforcing its economic and trade cooperation with neighboring provinces and regions, and exerting its advantages of historical linkage with Portuguese-speaking countries, geographic adjacency and preferential trade status with China's mainland, especially the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region as well as the connection with overseas Chinese business circles, said Wan.

China's principle of "one country, two systems" has ensured a high degree of autonomy of the Macao SAR. The successful implementation of the policy is sure to win Macao's more acknowledgment from the international community, said Wan.