The Premier of the State Council, Mr Wen Jiabao, left Macao this evening after a whirlwind visit to the city.

Talking to reporters before his departure, the Premier said Macao was a beautiful place and that he hoped he could visit Macao more often in the future.

Mr Wen, who arrived yesterday for the Third Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, noted that this year’s conference had raised the profile of Macao in addition to bolstering trade ties between China and Lusophone countries.

He once again urged Macao to focus on the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises and to accord greater importance to education and culture.

Mr Wen also said that he was confident that Macao and Hong Kong would be able to cope with the impact of the United States of America’s policy of quantitative easing on their economies, given their success in handling the Asian and global financial crises.

The Premier left Macao via the Hengqin Border Checkpoint this evening.

He was seen off by the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, Mr Ho Hau Wah, and principal officials of the Macao Government.