Celebrations were held in Macao yesterday to mark the sixth anniversary of the special administrative region (SAR)'s return to the motherland and its chief executive commended progress that he said had been made since then.

Edmund Ho Hau Wah presided over a ceremony in Golden Lotus Square at which the flags of both Macao and the whole of China were raised to the tune of the national anthem, attended by officials from the central government's Liaison Office and Foreign Affairs Commission as well as the SAR government and hundreds of local residents.

At a reception later in Macao Tower, Ho said the "one country, two systems" policy has advanced with "great vigor," and the SAR has been able to demonstrate its unique inherent advantages and grasp valuable development opportunities.

He said Macao, safeguarded by the Basic Law and with strong support from the mainland, had the confidence to build a unique and sophisticated society.

In an article published the same day in the Macao Daily News, Bai Zhijian, director of the Liaison Office, said the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy represented the successful practice of social harmony, which he said was the foundation for economic and political development.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2005)