Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday morning administered the oath of office to Sam Hou Fai, the new Chief Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR).

At a ceremony held at the Macau East Asian Games Dome, other principal officials serving in the sixth-term administration of the Macau SAR were also sworn in.

After taking office, Sam Hou Fai emphasised the need to address Macau’s “economic imbalances” and tackle key issues affecting residents, including social security, healthcare, elderly care, and urban redevelopment.

Following the swearing-in, Xi Jinping delivered a speech in which he praised the enormous transformation Macau has undergone since its return to Chinese administration in 1999. He said, Macao will surely open up new horizons for development and keep creating new glories, as long as the policy of “one country, two systems” is comprehensively, accurately and unwaveringly implemented.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a gathering celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland.