- Title: Timeline of Macau politics ahead of 20th anniversary handover to Chinese rule
- Date: 18th December 2019
- Summary: Pro-democracy protesters in Macau took to the streets December 20, the 15th anniversary of the former Portuguese colony's handover to Chinese rule, to demand genuine universal suffrage during Chinese President Xi Jinping's two-day visit. MACAU, CHINA (FILE - DECEMBER 20, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING Xi opened one of the world's longest bridges in 2018 during a tour to southern China that is seen by some as an opportunity for Beijing to reaffirm its commitment to economic liberalisation. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge is made up of nearly 35-km (22-mile) bridge and road sections and a 6.7 km (4-mile) tunnel and has been dubbed the longest "bridge-cum-tunnel sea crossing" in the world. It links the financial hub of Hong Kong to the relatively less developed western reaches of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, as well as the former Portuguese colony and gambling hub of Macau. ZHUHAI, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA (FILE - OCTOBER 22, 2018) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BRIDGE AT NIGHT (ZHUHAI AND MACAO SIDE) ZHUHAI, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA (FILE - OCTOBER 22, 2018) (REUTERS) XI WALKING TO THE PODIUM SIGN READING (Chinese and English): HONG KONG-ZHUHAI-MACAU BRIDGE XI SPEAKING
- Embargoed: 1st January 2020 02:32
- Keywords: China Macau Portugal President Xi Jinping anniversary handover
- Location: MACAU/ MACAU, BEIJING, ZHUHAI, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA/ LISBON, PORTUGAL
- City: MACAU/ MACAU, BEIJING, ZHUHAI, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, CHINA/ LISBON, PORTUGAL
- Country: Macau
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00KBAIWK7B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Chinese territory of Macau is set to celebrate the former Portuguese colony's 20-year anniversary of its handover to Chinese rule on Friday (December 20).
Macau was returned to China in December of 1999, ending almost 450 years of Portuguese rule.
Later this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Macau to announce a raft of new policies aimed at diversifying the city's casino-dependent economy into a financial centre, according to over a dozen interviews with officials and corporate executives.
The move is seen by officials and executives in Macau as a reward for having avoided the anti-government protests that have gripped nearby Hong Kong over the past six months.
Xi's trip comes as the central government has praised the city for upholding the "one country, two systems" framework that governs both Hong Kong and Macau.
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