Macau, China, May 13, 2025 (Lusa) - The leader of Macau's government, Sam Hou Fai, guaranteed on Tuesday that he will protect US casino operators in the Chinese semi-autonomous region if the trade war between Beijing and Washington escalates.
The gambling capital of the world, Macau is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal. Six concessionaires operate in the territory - including three with US capital, Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts - with contracts valid until 2033.
"The six casino operators follow Macau law. As long as, following the law, these operators develop their business in an orderly, healthy manner, they are certainly protected and supported by the government," said the government chief.
"We have always welcomed foreign investment," including “investments from US capital, all of which are welcome,” Sam emphasised.
The government leader was speaking at a press conference to take stock of the six-day visit to Macau by the Chinese Communist Party's top official for the affairs of the two semi-autonomous regions, Xia Baolong.
On Monday, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, under the State Council, the Chinese executive, asked 20 local businesspeople to "work together to promote national prosperity".
After the meeting, Macau's secretary of state for economy and finance, told reporters that Xia Baolong also called for unity against "the rise of unilateralism and trade protectionism in the United States".
"Entrepreneurs in Hong Kong and Macau have to be united and stand on the same side as the state. In this situation, there is no way out if we make compromises and concessions," emphasised Anton Tai Kin Ip.
The official was speaking shortly before China and the United States announced an agreement on Monday, with effect from 14 May, under which they will reduce mutual customs duties by 115 percentage points for 90 days.
In other words, US customs duties on Chinese imports will be 30% during this period, compared to 10% from China for US imports.
In mid-April, the founder of the gambling consultancy IGamix, Ben Lee, told Lusa that China could force US casino operators to sell their casinos in Macau in retaliation if Washington forces the sale of TikTok and the ports on the Panama Canal.
"If China adopts the same retaliatory strategy it has been employing," the possibility of US gambling companies being forced to sell their Macau operations to Chinese entrepreneurs "goes up a few notches," said Ben Lee.
Also in April, the executive director of CreditSights, Nicholas Chen, reminded Lusa that new concessions can be cancelled "due to a threat to national security to the MSAR [Macau Special Administrative Region]", or for "reasons of public interest".
"However, what would constitute such a threat has not been explicitly defined by the authorities," emphasised the expert from CreditSights, which is part of the Fitch rating agency group.
On the other hand, Chen said it was worrying that in February Macau was classified as a "foreign adversary" of the United States, imposing restrictions on investment by local companies.
VQ/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
