Macao SAR releases 3rd 5-year plan for economic, social development

The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government on Tuesday released the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Macao SAR (2026-2030), charting the direction and priorities for the region's next phase of growth.

Structured into 68 exclusive sections in 36 chapters of ten parts, the plan sets out 35 major economic and social development indicators, as well as eight overarching development goals -- fully implementing the holistic approach to national security; further improving law-based governance; making substantive new progress in appropriate economic diversification; advancing high-quality development of the Macao-Hengqin Cooperation Zone; achieving visible results in the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent; effectively safeguarding and progressively improving residents' well-being; making substantial strides in building a beautiful and smart Macao; and better integrating into and serving the country's overall development.

Hengqin, located in Zhuhai City of south China's Guangdong Province, is separated from Macao Special Administrative Region by a narrow stretch of water. The Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin was established in 2021 to facilitate Macao's better integration into the overall national development.

Yangpu Port in south China's Hainan Province reached a new milestone on Tuesday, with its registered vessels surpassing 100 as two new cargo ships joined its fleet that morning, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Since March this year, Yangpu Port has implemented a streamlined "one-stop" registration and operation mechanism, significantly reducing the time from registration to putting ships into service by nearly a month. For a single 300,000-tonne ultra-large oil tanker, this can result in comprehensive cost savings of up to five million yuan (about 740,000 U.S. dollars).