Visiting Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Li Ruihuan said he is confident of Macao's prosperity and stability after its return to China later this month.

In an interview with the Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) in Tokyo over the weekend, Li said that with the motherland's mighty support added to its original characteristics and advantages, Macao will bloom in new vigor and vitality and prosper in stability following the return.

He noted that under the principle of "one country, two systems, " the guidelines of "Macao people governing Macao" and a "high degree of autonomy" were written in the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration on the Question of Macao and the Basic Law of Macao.

Both documents explicitly maintain Macao's existing social and economic system, its life style and general law structure to keep its uniqueness, which, said Li, will contribute to the stability and development of Macao, the reforms and modernization in the mainland, as well as the eventual realization of China's reunification.

Li, who is on a nine-day good-will visit to Japan, cited Hong Kong's dynamic status quo despite various doubts before its handover to China in 1997.

He described Macao's return as another grand event in the Chinese history and a new milestone in China's reunification process.

For China and Portugal, the successful solution to the Macao issue is bound to play a positive role in the long-term development of bilateral relations, Li said.