Phnom Penh , Dec. 20 – Below is the full message of Cambodian Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Macao’s return to China:

On the auspicious occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the return of Macao to China, on behalf of the Ministry of Information of Cambodia, I would like to extend my warm congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region and its brilliant achievements.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 20th anniversary of Macao’s return to China. On December 20, 1999, Macao officially returned to China, and the Macao Special Administrative Region was officially established. Macao began to embark on a highly autonomous development path of “one country, two systems”, “Macao people governing Macao” and a high degree of autonomy. Guided by this policy, Macao’s economic and social undertakings have achieved rapid development and achieved remarkable results. Macao’s per capita GDP has increased from US $15,200 in 1999 to US $82,600 in 2018, registering number two in the world. The “one country, two systems” policy has achieved great success in Macao.

The fruits of cooperation between Cambodia and the Macao SAR are obvious to all. On May 8, 2018, Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen met with the Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Fernando Chui Sai On, and the two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on cooperation in the fields of tourism, economy, and trade, and further promoted the development of bilateral relations.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Macao for its contribution to the development of Cambodia. May the tomorrow of the Macao SAR be even better! May the friendship between China and Cambodia last forever!