Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao left here for the mainland Sunday evening, ending his first official visit to the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

During his two-day tour, Wen attended the opening ceremony of the third Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries and delivered a keynote speech there, inspected the SAR, and had close contact with local people.

Since returning to the motherland, Macao has undertaken big changes with sound economic and social development, said Wen to the press at the Lotus Port before his departure.

For the first time Hong Kong and Macao have been included as an important part of the 12th Five-Year Program of the country, said Wen.

In order to become a global tourism and leisure center, Macao should put emphasis on its economic connection to the mainland and communication and cooperation with the outside world, Wen told the press.

To achieve such a goal, Wen also suggested the Macao government to value small-sized enterprises, and boost the development in the industries of culture, education and science and technology.

In response to a question about the impact of the second round of currency quantitative easing measures taken by the United States, Wen said he was confident the financial communities in Hong Kong and Macao could find ways to maintain the financial and economic stability.

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2010)