Experts laud Macao's great success after its return to motherland(2)

Meanwhile, Macao is diversifying its productive activity and tries to depend less on casinos, while the gambling industry has dropped in the past year and other sectors can be supported by monetary reserves of the government of Macao, which will facilitate social stability, he noted.

Foreign observers agree that the development formula of "one country, two systems" has worked efficiently in this former Portuguese colony over the past 15 years. It has maintained harmony in such a varied and dynamic society and kept it open to the rest of the world, he said.

Alessandra Lavagnino, a sinologist and professor of Chinese language and culture at the University of Milan, told Xinhua in a recent interview that "from a dozy city, Macao has transformed into an international metropolis".

"China's 'one country, two systems' policy has generated more wealth for everybody and allowed the city to tap its potentials," she added.

Romeo Orlandi, vice president of the Bologna-based think-tank Osservatorio Asia, said he has recently visited Macao and was impressed by the positive results produced by the "one country, two systems" policy.

The Macao SAR has left behind the image of a city "laid down on the past" to "enter globalization with full rights through China," Orlandi noted.

Macao has established with the motherland a "win-win" relationship from which both have benefited, he added.

Echoing Orlandi's view, Laura De Giorgi, a professor of history of modern and contemporary China at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, said Macao's experience over the past 15 years "is universally considered a success story."

The local government has set the conditions for a "significant improvement of social protection and the education system in the region," said De Giorgi.

Qian Feng, vice director of the Chinese-language newspaper Asian Daily in Thailand, said that the practice of "one country, two systems" has proved to be a very wise one, as it has not only guaranteed smooth transition in the process of Macao's return to the motherland, but also demonstrated the inclusiveness and diversity of the Chinese culture.

Over the past 15 years, the central government has adhered to the policy of "one country, two systems", with no interference in Macao's economic development and political system, which has enabled it to maintain a rapid economic growth, he added.

"In the meantime, the prosperity of the Chinese mainland has created great many opportunities for Macao, with the mainland consistently playing a supportive role," Qian said.