European Commission and the European External Action Service issue 2016 Annual Report on the Macao Special Administrative

The European Commission and the European External Action Service have adopted their latest annual report to the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers on political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), covering 2016.

Since the handover of Macao to China in 1999, the European Union and its Member States have been closely following political and economic developments under the ‘one country, two systems’ principle. The European Union adheres to its ‘one China’ policy and supports the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and its implementation in Macao.

The European Union believes that, notwithstanding some challenges, the ‘one country, two systems’ principle has generally continued to work well in 2016, to the benefit of Macao and China as a whole, and of the international community. EU-Macao relations continued to flourish, with a growing portfolio of cooperation activities and solid trade relations. The EU is looking forward to further strengthening and expanding its relations with the Macao SAR. The European Union reiterates its commitment to democracy, the rule of law, fundamental freedoms and rights in Macao.

The full report is available here: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=JOIN:2017:15:FIN