澳门庆祝回归十七周年

Today marks the 17th anniversary of Macao's return to China. To mark the occasion, thousands of people attended the flag-raising ceremony on Golden Lotus Square in the Special Administrative Region, formerly a Portuguese colony.

Macao's chief executive, Chui Sai On, gave a special speech and said he looked forward to further development between Macao and the Chinese mainland.

In the last 17 years, strides have been made in economic ties between Macao and the Chinese mainland. And imports and exports through Gongbei customs were valued at more than 20 billion yuan last year, that's over six times the 1999 figure.