China's President Xi Jinping arrived in Macau on Dec 18 to mark a quarter century of Beijing's rule over the former Portuguese enclave, and is likely during his three-day visit to urge further diversification from its casino industry.
His trip to the world's biggest gambling hub is his third as president, during which he will attend the inauguration of the territory's new chief executive, who was elected in October. Mr Xi last visited in 2019, when anti-government protests were rocking neighboring Hong Kong.
A special administrative region of China, Macau is the only place in the country where gambling is legal, and its economy is heavily dependent on the casino industry, which contributes about 80 per cent of regional tax revenue.
Located on China's southern coast, Macau returned to Chinese rule on Dec 20, 1999, governed under the same "one country, two systems" formula as Hong Kong.
This story is from the December 19, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the December 19, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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