Political and business leaders from the Macao Special Administrative Region on Tuesday hailed the city’s third five-year plan (2026-30) as setting out clear development directions for economic, cultural and educational progress in the city while breaking down grand strategies into pragmatic goals.

Their remarks came after Macao SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai unveiled a 36-chapter blueprint outlining the city’s key strategies for the next five years on economic diversification, integration with the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, urban renewal, and alignment with national development.

Grace Wong Kit-cheng, a Macao lawmaker and member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee – the nation’s top political advisory body – said the SAR’s third five-year plan aligns closely with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30), with input solicited from all sectors of society during its drafting.

She said the plan sets clear objectives, combining strategic direction in key economic areas with concrete measures to safeguard national security and social stability.

Wong pledged her full support for the SAR government’s governance, saying she will continue to join forces with all sectors to ensure measures documented in the blueprint are efficiently executed to secure Macao’s long-term prosperity and stability.

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Another legislator, Kou Kam-fai, said the blueprint holds guiding significance for Macao‘s development in the next five years, taking into account the city’s actual situation while closely aligning with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan and development progress in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Designed with strong operational feasibility, Kou said the plan refines mission deployments and reinforces core responsibilities through three primary action lists, while using four major priority projects and government guidance funds as key levers, transforming grand goals into specific policies, practical projects and measurable outcomes.

Kou, who is also the principal of Pui Ching Middle School, said the local blueprint aims to advance Macao-Hengqin integration through science, technology, and education, providing enormous opportunities for higher education and innovation.

He said the city should make full use of various platforms in Hengqin and its university resources to strengthen youth development and patriotic education, enabling more Macao youngsters to find their careers and achieve success against the backdrop of the nation's overall development strategy.

Lam Fat-iam, a Macao legislator and dean of the Faculty the of Humanities and Social Sciences at Macao Polytechnic University, said the key to successful implementation of the blueprint lies in utilizing the three primary action lists - key projects, responsibilities for key tasks and major reform measures.

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In terms of appropriate economic diversification, Lam said, the focus goes beyond merely proposing the "1+4" industrial strategy and the target of non-gaming sectors accounting for 60 percent of the city's gross domestic product. It requires specifying concrete projects and industrial platforms through a priority project list, clarifying departmental divisions of labor through a responsibility list, and breaking through bottlenecks in capital investment, administrative approval efficiency, and talent policies through a reform list, Lam added.

Samuel Tong Kai-chung, president of the Macau Institute of Management, said the third five-year plan outlines a defined roadmap to advance Macao’s strategic positioning in tourism, trade, culture and talent, while deepening Macao-Hengqin integration and accelerating the diversification of the SAR's economy.

A veteran economist, Tong stressed that urban renewal is inextricably linked to the development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in old districts. He said he is glad to see that the third five-year plan leverages innovative thinking and actions, refines legal frameworks, and coordinates funds, resources and policy support to accelerate urban renewal.

The plan’s aims to advance the protective renewal and revitalization of the area around the Ruins of St. Paul's, and to accelerate the comprehensive renewal of old buildings in aging neighborhoods, are designed to better address uneven development between tourist zones and residential areas, as well as the imbalance between large integrated tourism enterprises and traditional MSMEs, said Tong.

Henry Hong Wai-tong, a member of the Macao SAR government's sports council, said the blueprint attaches great importance to sports for public benefit and national fitness, positioning the sector as a vital component of high-quality growth and community well-being.

He said public expectations now center on optimizing venue allocations, balancing sports resources between old and new districts, upgrading neighborhood facilities, and expanding grassroots services. To support these goals, Hong pledged to leverage community networks across Macao to assist the government in implementing public-benefit sports policies and driving the new five-year plan's sports initiatives to successful completion.

In a statement, the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations of Macau told China Daily that the plan is closely connected with national strategies while also responding to social expectations.

The association added that it hopes the Macao government will leverage opportunities in Hengqin, promote economic diversification, and make concrete efforts to resolve key bottlenecks in areas such as employment, elderly care, healthcare, education and public transportation.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com