Macau SAR releases development plan for 2026-2030 period
The Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) government on Tuesday (18/8) released the Third Five-Year Plan for the Economic and Social Development of the Macau SAR (2026-2030).
The Third Five-Year Plan is an important initiative for Macau to continue advancing the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle and to integrate more effectively with and support China’s overall development, said Macau SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, as reported by Xinhua on Thursday.
The plan, comprising 10 sections and 36 chapters, sets out eight development goals: ensuring the full implementation of a holistic approach to national security; enhancing the effectiveness of law-based governance; achieving substantial progress in appropriate economic diversification; promoting progress through high-quality development in the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin; delivering tangible results from the integrated development of education, technology and talent; further improving public welfare; achieving significant progress in building a beautiful and “smart” Macau; and supporting and integrating more effectively into China’s overall development.
The Macau SAR Chief Executive said the SAR government is proactively positioning and planning Macau within the broader context of national development, and actively implementing the relevant provisions of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan.
Sam outlined four key tasks for the 2026-2030 period: advancing appropriate economic diversification through major projects and government guidance funds; deepening integrated development with Hengqin and promoting high-quality development in the cooperation zone; accelerating urban renewal and building a beautiful and “smart” Macau; and strengthening Macau’s connectivity with both mainland China and the world, while supporting and integrating more effectively into China’s overall development.
The release of the plan followed a public consultation held from 20 May to 28 June. During the consultation, the Macau SAR government gathered opinions and suggestions from various sectors of society.
Yin Yifen, director of the Centre for Social, Economic and Public Policy Research at Macau Polytechnic University, told Xinhua that Macau’s five-year planning mechanism “provides two core advantages for economic diversification and policy coherence.”
Yin added that the mechanism operates within the “one country, two systems” principle and serves as an important institutional complement to that framework.
The mechanism links Macau’s development with national strategy while translating general requirements into measurable targets covering the economy, livelihoods and security, and strengthens institutional capacity for SAR governance.