25 years that were 'beyond all expectations'

Editor's note: Over the past 25 years, the Macao Special Administrative Region has registered remarkable economic development and the practice of "one country, two systems" has achieved great success widely recognized by the world, showcasing great vitality and unique charm. Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily.

Over the past few weeks I have been asked to summarize my assessment of the first 25 years of the existence of the Macao Special Administrative Region, and my standard answer has been "beyond all expectations".

And that's as someone who visited Macao for the first time in 1980, when it was still under Portuguese rule, covered the historic ceremony of Dec 19 to 20, 1999, marking China's resumption of exercising its sovereignty over the territory, and will cover this week's 25th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of the Macao SAR and inspection tour by President Xi Jinping.