BEIJING -- China's top legislator Wu Bangguo delivered a speech at a meeting here Friday, reviewing progress made in the past decade since the implementation of the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and calling for more efforts to sustain Macao's prosperity and stability.

The following are highlights of his speech:

The important inspiration drawn from the successful implementation of the Basic Law is that, to further implement the Basic Law and push forward the great practice of "one country, two systems", we must firmly grasp the following points:

-- Holding high the banner of loving motherland, loving Macao. This is a political guarantee for carrying out the Basic Law and pushing forward incessantly the great practice of "one country, two systems."

After Macao' s return to the motherland, Macao compatriots became the masters of both the nation and the region. They have enjoyed extensive rights of freedom and democracy. They displayed unprecedented passion of loving the motherland and loving Macao and threw themselves into the great practice of "one country, two systems," with brand new spirit.

-- Giving full play to relevant systems. This is a prerequisite requirement for carrying out the Basic Law and pushing forward incessantly the great practice of "one country, two systems."

Since the founding of the Macao SAR, it has strictly complied with the Basic Law and given a full play to the system regulated in the law. Firstly, it exercised a high degree of autonomy in line with the law and properly handled the relations with the central government. Secondly, it carried out the executive-dominated system in line with the law and carefully balanced the relations among the administration, legislature and law enforcement. The practice proved that the compatriots in Macao have the wisdom, ability and approaches to well administer, build and develop Macao.

-- Going all out to ensure stability and development. Ensuring stability and development is the fundamental goal of implementing the Basic Law and advancing the great experiment of "one country, two systems."

After its establishment, the SAR government has put public security issues as a priority, adopted pragmatic and effective measures to achieve social stability and taken strict measures against crime so as to greatly improve social stability. The government has also put development as another priority, strove to overcome difficulties brought about by the Asian financial crisis and invigorated the tourism industry to promote a proper and diversified development of the economy.

After Macao' s return to the motherland, all circles of the society, out of the common aspiration for prosperity and stability in Macao, sought common grounds while preserving differences, and actively conducted consultations and achieved social harmony. They did not politicize conflicts and problems but put forward suggestion and advice with constructive attitudes to improve work, so that a sound social understanding and unity were formed and forces from all aspects were able to focus on Macao' s common cause of construction, development and prosperity.

-- The experience accumulated and achievement made were results of joint efforts of the SAR chief executive and the government, and could not be separated from the strong support of the central government and the Chinese mainland.

I believe that the Macao SAR chief executive and the SAR government will be certain to do as what they have done and continue leading Macao people of all circles by emphasizing unity, striving for stability and planning on development, so as to open up a new situation for the prosperity and harmony of Macao. Herein, I want to speak out three prospective views based on realities of Macao as follows:

-- The concept of the rule of law must be strengthened in an overall manner. The publicity of the Basic Law should be further strengthened in various forms. The profound meaning and lively practice of the "one country, two systems" policy and the Basic Law should be publicized in a wider and deeper way. The relevant aspects of the Basic Law should be paraphrased in more understandable terms, so as to ensure the "one country, two systems" policy and the Basic Law deeply rooted, the consciousness of the "one country, two systems" and the concept of the Basic Law firmly established in the society, and the social base for implementing the Basic Law consolidated and developed continuously.

The study of the Basic Law should be strengthened, by seriously summing up good experience and methods in the implementation of the Basic Law, and dealing with new situation and problems in implementing the Basic Law, so as to ceaselessly enrich the theory and practice of the Basic Law and do a good job in implementing the Basic Law.

-- Great efforts must be made to strengthen system building. The Macao SAR should place the system building at a prominent position, by making it a major issue to deal with and working out and improving specific systems regarding issues within a high autonomy.

It is a must to persist on the principle of starting from the realities in Macao, by fully displaying democracy, studying in a rational and practical manner, and conglomerating a consensus in a broad way, in order to make the systems built in a way compatible to realities of Macao and substantially operational.

-- Great efforts should be made to increase the capabilities of administering by law. Efforts should be made for the building of public servant teams and improve quality of public servants, in a bid to make them aware of the Basic Law, loyal to the Basic Law, abide by the Basic Law, safeguard the Basic Law, self-consciously, and contribute their wisdom and talent to the nation and Macao, heart and soul.

It is a must to be people-oriented to meet new demands of Macao's development and new expectations from the residents.