The Transformation of Macau

Bibliographic Data

ID2879366
AuthorsJonathan Porter (0000-0003-3204-5257, corresponding author)
Year1993
Volume66
Issue1
Pages7
Publication date1993-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePacific Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0030-851X • E-ISSN: 1715-3379
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2760013
OpenAlexW2312188840
LanguageEN
Citations received14

A T THE END OF 1999, Macau, the first European settlement on the China coast and for almost 450 years a Portuguese territory, will revert to full Chinese sovereignty. TheJoint Declaration agreed upon by Portugal and China provides that Macau will become a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, and may expect to enjoy its current economic and social system for at least fifty years thereafter under the country, two systems formula applied also to Hong Kong. It is debatable whether that event will bring sudden changes to the city. At the very best, recent events in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union have taught us to expect that almost anything can happen in China between now and then. But if the current Chinese political configuration endures, it is at least arguable whether China will interpret the agreement in the way that Western observers rather optimistically understand it. In many respects, perhaps anxiety about the consequences of 1999 for Macau is fast becoming irrelevant. In the last few years Macau has experienced rapid development that is transforming it almost beyond any resemblance to its former character as a rather somnolent and picturesque artifact of Portuguese colonialism. One may ask, What is the current system guaranteed under theJoint Declaration? Is it the status quo as of 1985, when negotiations were announced, or is it the situation that will prevail in 1999, when the agreement takes effect? From the historical perspective of the old Macau that is gradually vanishing, it is easy (and perhaps not so inappropriate) to regret the changes that are occurring.' Until recently, much of the fascination with Macau, and not incidentally some of its attraction for tourism, rested on its unique preservation of the vestiges of Western interaction with China over the span of more than four centuries. But however much one may share this concern for the loss of Macau's heritage, its present transformation marks a significant departure from its previous condition of isolation and political and economic inconsequence that contributed to its special charm. Outside of Hong Kong and of Macau itself, with the exception of an occasional article in the popular press observing that the anachronistic

Transformation (genetics) · Chemistry · Economic Zones and Regional Development · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics

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