The newly appointed commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), Bian Lixin, yesterday paid a courtesy call, after assuming office last week, to Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Macau’s first chief executive and now a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), where she expressed gratitude to Ho for his long-standing care and support for Macau-related diplomatic work, according to a statement by the commissioner’s office last night.
Yesterday’s meeting between Ho and Bian came after the latter paid a visit to Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai on Tuesday when they had a meeting at Government Headquarters.
Bian arrived in Macau to assume office on Friday last week, after the Central People’s Government announced on January 23 its decision to appoint Bian as the head of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the MSAR. Bian, a former head of the ministry’s Personnel Department, succeeded Liu Xianfa at the helm of the commissioner’s office. Liu concluded his five-year tenure in Macau on January 15, 2026.
Liu has meanwhile been appointed the central authorities’ special representative on African affairs.
During yesterday’s meeting, according to the statement, Bian said that this year marks the beginning of the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, adding that it is a great honour to be appointed as the head of the commissioner’s office and she is fully aware of the magnitude of the responsibility entrusted to her.
Bian underlined that the commissioner’s office will continue to fully fulfil its functions and duties and is committed to safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty, security, and development interests, supporting Macau in expanding its international connections, and fostering a favourable external environment for advancing the steady and sustained implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
The commissioner’s office is one of the three entities established by the central government based in Macau, alongside the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR and the local garrison of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The MSAR was established by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on December 20, 1999, after Macau was under temporary Portuguese administration.
Edmund Ho served as the MSAR’s first chief executive, for two consecutive five-year terms between December 20, 1999 and December 19, 2009.
During yesterday’s meeting, according to the statement, Ho welcomed Bian to her new role in Macau and said that he personally witnessed the establishment of the commissioner’s office in Macau, which, he said, has carried out extensive and effective work to promote the MSAR’s expansion of external exchanges and cooperation and foster the city’s appropriate economic diversification.
According to the statement, Ho said that he expects the commissioner’s office to continue leveraging its diplomatic resources and strengths, with the aim of assisting Macau in expanding its external ties, building itself into a platform for higher-standard opening up, and better integrating into and serving the nation’s overall development.
CPPCC National Committee Vice Chairman Edmund Ho Hau Wah (right) meets with newly appointed Foreign Ministry Commissioner Bian Lixin yesterday. – Photo: commissioner’s office
