President Xi Jinping attends welcome banquet in Macau

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a gala on Thursday at the East Asian Games Dome in Macau to mark the 25th anniversary of the casino hub's return to China.

In his speech at the banquet, Xi said he believed the development of Macau would be more fruitful as the country would always be the strongest backing for the city.

He added that Macau has achieved remarkable results in various sectors in the past 25 years and will surely make another significant leap forward.

On the second day of his three-day visit, Xi met with Macau's former chief executives Ho Hau-wah and Chui Sai-on. He also has a meeting with the outgoing CE Ho Iat-seng, and the incoming CE Sam Ho-fai.

Xi also met with Hong Kong's leader John Lee Ka-chiu in the afternoon, hoping for deeper collaboration between the two SARs.