Looking into the future, Macao has a critical role to play in initiatives like the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative.

BEIJING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland. Over the past 25 years, the practice of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics has achieved success widely recognized by the world, showcasing its great vitality and unique charm.

Under the "one country, two systems" policy, Macao has both autonomy and great support from the central government, Jinith De Silva, president of the Sri Lanka China Society, told Xinhua recently.

Macao, one of the fastest growing economies in the world, has witnessed massive changes since its return to the motherland, benefiting from the "one country, two systems" policy, he said.

"What impresses me is people's livelihood in Macao. It sustains an overall unemployment rate below 2 percent for years and provides free medical services to people above 65," said De Silva.

From 1999 to 2023, Macao's per capita GDP more than quadrupled to around 69,000 U.S. dollars. On Forbes magazine's 2024 list of the world's richest places, Macao ranked first in Asia and second globally. It is also one of the safest cities in the world.

Former Croatian Deputy Prime Minister Ante Simonic said he believes that economic growth in Macao is "not just a number" and should be analyzed from the perspective of improving people's well-being and promoting social development.

"Macao's development has promoted employment, improved public services and improved people's living standards, and Macao prioritizes the development of education, health care and social infrastructure to ensure that the fruits of prosperity benefit the people," he said.

Macao has both Chinese and Portuguese as official languages and shares linguistic and legal similarities with Portuguese-speaking countries, which makes it naturally positioned as a service platform for trade cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking world of nearly 300 million people.

"Macao has a connection between Portugal and China, and even I would say between Asia and Europe, and between the East and the West," said Carmen Amado Mendes, president of Macao Scientific and Cultural Center in Portugal, adding that Macao is a very unique place where completely different cultures and civilizations meet and share knowledge and commerce, trade, and ideas.

The city hosts the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, also known as Forum Macao, China's only multilateral platform leveraging linguistic ties. Since its establishment, trade between China and these nations has grown by about 20-fold.

The role that Macao once played as a bridge between different countries and cultures continues to be fulfilled today, as it serves as a platform for connecting China with Portuguese-speaking countries. "And, of course, I do believe that in the future this will still be the case," Mendes said.

Looking into the future, Macao has a critical role to play in initiatives like the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Former Slovenian President Danilo Turk said that the outlined development plan for the Greater Bay Area is "one of the most interesting projects in the world at the moment" because it connects a large area with big economic power and strong economic potential.

Turk added that the vitality of development in Macao in the past 25 years has proved the "one country, two systems" policy to be successful.■