The fifth session of the 13^th National People’s Congress (“NPC”) and the fifth session of the 13^th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (“CPPCC”) were successfully held in Beijing last month. SJM Resorts, S.A. (“SJM”) hosted a sharing session on the spirit of the Two Sessions in the Grand Ballroom of Grand Lisboa Hotel on 8 April 2022, under the guidance of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, and attended by Deputy Director of the Economic Affairs Department of Liaison Office Mr. Yang Yi. SJM invited Macau Deputy to the NPC Mr. Lok Po and Mr. Kevin Ho King Lun, Deputy Director of the Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the CPPCC National Committee Ms. Ho Teng Iat, and Macau CPPCC Member Mr. Alan Ho Ion Sang to share the spirit of the Two Sessions with its staff members, deepening their understanding of the direction of national policy and the Country’s future development.

Chairman of the Board of Directors Ms. Daisy Ho, Directors of SJM Dr. Ambrose So, Mr. David Shum and Ms. Maisy Ho participated in a live broadcast of the sharing session at the SJM Hong Kong office. In Macau, Standing Committee member of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of CPPCC, Managing Director of SJM and Chairman of SJM Staff Welfare Consultative Committee Ms. Angela Leong, Secretary-General of SJM Dr. Rui Cunha, together with senior management and over 195 team members attended the sharing session. On the same day, the video on the sharing session was also replayed in the company’s back-of-house areas, giving more SJM employees the opportunity to learn about the spirit of the Two Sessions. More than 1200 team members at SJM attended the sessions throughout the day.

At today’s live-broadcast sharing, Ms. Daisy Ho, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SJM, encouraged SJM staff members to learn and spread the spirit of the Two Sessions. Ms. Ho said, “As China embarks on a new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal, this year’s Report on the Work of the Government has once again reflected the Central Government’s firm support for Macau. While we are immensely grateful to the Motherland for providing the strong backing to Macau’s development, we are also obliged to fulfill our social responsibilities. Being rooted in Macau for 60 years, SJM is committed to upholding the spirit of loving the Motherland and Macau, and has continuously invested in the economy with the goals of diversifying its growth to drive parallel enhancements in social, infrastructural and cultural developments. We are the first gaming operator to promote national education in Macau, and will continue to play a vanguard role in promoting patriotism amongst our staff members and their families, supporting the Macau SAR Government in cementing the principle of ‘patriots governing Macau’ to ensure the steady progress of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle with Macau characteristics.”

The sharing session was chaired by Ms. Angela Leong, and four guest speakers conveyed the spirit of the Two Sessions by focusing on different themes; outlining key points; presenting the annual government work report and introducing important future projects. The discussion also focused on how Macau can best leverage the advantages of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy; further cultivate and instill the spirit of “Loving the Motherland and Loving Macau” and seize the opportunity to integrate into the overall development of the nation.

Mr. Lok Po explained that NPC is the highest state organ of legislative power, and its important functions include preparing and convening meetings for the Congress; listening to the opinions of people; improving the various systems of the conference and implementing resolutions made by the conference. For the first time, during this year's NPC and CPPCC meetings, the written government work report included “patriots governing Macau”. This demonstrates the determination and confidence of the Central Government to comprehensively, accurately and fully implement the “One Country, Two Systems” policy.

Mr. Kevin Ho King Lun said this year’s Two Sessions government work report stated that the Central Government has set GDP growth at 5.5% for Mainland China and insists on “prioritising stability, while pursuing progress”. At the same time, Macau’s focus should be on the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin to drive economic diversification. As the pandemic gradually subsides, Macau’s tourism industry is expected to recover and stimulate the development of other industries.

Ms. Ho Teng Iat shared that in the face of extremely complex and challenging situations arising both domestically and abroad in 2021, the nation’s implementation of pandemic prevention control measures alongside economic and social developments has not been easy. While participating in the Two Sessions, it has become very clear that the Motherland has always strongly supported Macau, and this bodes very well for the future development of Macau. During the pandemic, the goal is for everyone to continue working together and to understand one another; unite as one; work hard; fully support the Macau SAR Government’s anti-pandemic efforts; proactively support the Government’s efforts to govern in accordance with the law and integrate into the overall development of the nation. By moving forward in this way, this will improve pandemic prevention and boost economic recovery; ensure Macau’s long-term prosperity and stability; and contribute to the steady and long-term implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy in Macau.

Mr. Alan Ho Ion Sang highlighted that this year’s CPPCC work report focused on the word “stability” as the key. The major political tasks for this year include the need to seek progress while maintaining stability; to adhere to the two major themes of unity and democracy; give advice and build consensus; welcome the 20^th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and study, promote and implement the spirit of the 20^th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. During the Two Sessions, all of the Macau CPPCC Macau members proactively offered advice and proposals. The main focus of the proposals centred around the Macau SAR Government’s integration with the national 14^th Five-Year Plan. Macau will actively participate in the construction of the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin and the Greater Bay Area, while also fully implementing the fundamental principle of “patriots governing Macau”. In terms of facilitating a more seamless integration of residents into the Greater Bay Area, proposals have been made for the development of social services for the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin; to accelerate the entry of single-licensed Macau vehicles into Guangdong and to encourage Macau talents to get involved in the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin. Suggestions were also offered regarding the purchase of property in the Mainland and recycling resources in the Greater Bay Area.

The “Two Sessions Spirit Sharing Session” is one of the important programmes of SJM’s Patriotic Education Series. SJM is the first gaming operator in Macau to promote national education, and has always responded favourably to the patriotic education activities hosted by the Macau SAR Government and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government. SJM has organised a series of similar training courses and exchange programmes for employees and their children such as the Jinggangshan patriotic education programme, “My Motherland and Me” patriotic education training course, “Tell a Good China Story” Parent-Child Workshop, patriotic film appreciation meetings, as well as a series of patriotic training courses. While celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, SJM has organised a number of interactive educational activities to convey the spirit of patriotism to many employees and their family members.

From this sharing session, SJM team members gained an in-depth understanding of the spirit of the Two Sessions, which included ensuring a solid foundation for “patriots governing Macau”, laying the groundwork for Macau’s stable and long-term development of “One Country, Two Systems”, moving forward with the Guangdong-Macau in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin, and striving to integrate into the overall development plan of the nation. SJM will continue to spread the spirit of the Two Sessions to its team members, promoting patriotism and working together for a better future.