Austerity not to affect welfare: Macao chief executive

Chui Sai On, chief executive of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), pledged on Wednesday the budget control which took effect Tuesday would not affect people's livelihood and social welfare.

He made the remarks at the airport before leaving for Beijing to attend celebration events marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and the victory of the war of China's resistance against Japan.

When asked about the Wealth Partaking Scheme for next year, Chui said it depends on the financial situation and he could not make any commitment now, adding that the "fruit-sharing" scheme was popular and he personally hoped there would be adequate surplus to continue the cash handout plan next year.

The SAR government will continually keep the expenditure within the limit of revenue based on the Basic Law, he said.

Chui reiterated the budget in promoting the economic development of Macao would not be retrenched based on the current economic situation. The SAR government will strengthen tourism promotion, create more opportunities for small- and medium-sized enterprises and young people, he said.

Chui has earlier instructed public sectors to reduce costs in areas such as the purchase of daily supplies and third-party services involving about 1.4 billion patacas (170 million U.S. dollars) in total. Endi