China has reiterated its opposition to the European Union's (EU's) abuse of unilateral tools such as the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) to suppress Chinese enterprises, commerce ministry spokesman He Yadong said at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
The comments followed China’s latest prohibition order blocking domestic entities from cooperating with an EU cross-border investigation into e-commerce giant JD.com under the FSR.
"China has consistently opposed the EU's abuse of unilateral tools such as the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) to suppress Chinese enterprises. In May, China issued a prohibition order in the [security check company] Nuctech case for the first time. Now, in the JD.com case, the EU has recklessly and unreasonably demanded a large amount of China-based information that is broad in scope and unrelated to the probe from banking institutions within China. As a result, the Chinese authorities, based on thorough investigations and in accordance with Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Countering Foreign Improper Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, have determined that the EU's cross-border probe into JD.com under its FSR constitutes unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction, and have ordered that no organization or individual may comply with or assist in such measures," He said.
"We hope the EU will work with China in the same direction, promptly correct its erroneous practices regarding FSR investigation, and enhance communication through intergovernmental dialogue. China will closely follow EU moves and take necessary measures to firmly safeguard national security and the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises," he said.
China opposes EU's abuse of investigation tools against Chinese companies
The formulation of the Macao Special Administrative Region's (SAR) new five-year plan is an important practice to uphold and improve the executive-led government in the region and modernize its system and capacity for governance, said Sam Hou Fai, chief executive of the Macao SAR, highlighting the role of the plan in high-quality development of the region.
The SAR government on Tuesday released the Third Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Macao SAR (2026-2030) -- a roadmap for the SAR to march toward high-quality development and a major move to actively align with the national 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
The Third Five-Year Plan, consisting of 10 parts and 36 chapters, sets out eight development goals, which are: to ensure full implementation of the holistic approach to national security; to improve the effectiveness of law-based governance; to make substantial progress in appropriate economic diversification; to advance progress with high-quality development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin; to yield visible results from the integrated development of education, technology and talent; to further improve people's well-being; to make significant progress in building a beautiful and "smart" Macao; and to better integrate into and serve the country's overall development.
The plan is rooted in Macao's reality and integrates the institutional strengths of the "one country, two systems" policy throughout, said Sam.
"In formulating this plan, we based ourselves on the actual situation of the Macao SAR and reflected the improvement of administrative leadership, with coordination among executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The plan is tailored to the Macao SAR's own characteristics, that is, to harness the institutional strengths of the 'one country, two systems' policy; to be in line with the positioning given to us by our country -- playing the Macao SAR's roles as a world tourism and leisure center, a service platform for commercial and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, an exchange and cooperation center where mainstream Chinese culture and diverse cultures coexist, and an international hub for high-caliber talent; and to make use of the Macao SAR's unique geographical advantages. We have taken all these into consideration," said Sam.
The Macao SAR strictly fulfills its constitutional duties and aligns with national strategies, while exploring its development path based on its unique endowments, said Sam, adding that the Macao SAR is adept at integrating central government support, institutional strengths, and social synergy to continuously translate institutional advantages into tangible governance outcomes.
The SAR government has taken the initiative to position and plan Macao's development within the overall context of the country's progress, and is actively implementing the Macao SAR-related deployments of the national 15th Five-Year Plan to better integrate into and serve the country's overall development, he said.
"When developing the Third Five-year Plan, we followed two key benchmarks: first, align with the requirements for the Hong Kong SAR and the Macao SAR in the 15th Five-Year Plan of our country and the requirements for the Macao SAR to serve the overall development of the country. Macao's five-year plan should be in line with the development plan of the country. Second, as part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, we aim to benchmark against neighboring regions and coordinate the tasks and the guarantee measures for key projects," said Sam.
Highlighting that the Macao SAR government consistently prioritizes the welfare of its residents as the starting point and the ultimate goal of its planning, Sam said over the next five years, it will unite and lead all sectors of society in implementing the Third Five-Year Plan, guiding the Macao SAR forward and forging a new chapter of high-quality development in the practice of "one country, two systems" with Macao characteristics.
"The basis and the starting point lie in people's happiness, wellbeing, social security as well as their sense of happiness, benefit and security. It has been 27 years since Macao's return the motherland. We must have a vision. The Macao SAR government is with everyone. Let's implement and promote the plan that we formulate together," said Sam.
Sam outlined four major tasks for the 2026-2030 period: to advance appropriate economic diversification through major projects and a government guidance fund; to deepen integrated development with Hengqin and advance high-quality development of the cooperation zone; to accelerate urban renewal and build a beautiful and "smart" Macao SAR; and to reinforce the Macao SAR's connectivity with both the mainland and the world, and better integrate into and serve the country's overall development.
The release of the plan followed a public consultation conducted from May 20 to June 28, during which the Macao SAR government solicited opinions and suggestions from various sectors of society.
Macao SAR chief executive highlights role of 3rd 5-year plan in high-quality development
