Stamps commemorating the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) of the People's Republic of China are to come out on Dec. 20. They will bear "Macao, China," the first time stamps in Macao show Chinese sovereignty over the region.

This landmark stamp issue will follow the issuance of the last set of Portuguese-Macao stamps, "Macao Retrospective," on Dec. 19.

Circulation will be 3.5 million for each of the MSAR stamps and 1.5 million for each of the last stamps of the Portuguese Macao government.

The two series of stamps are designed to mark the ending of the more than 150 years of Portuguese rule in Macao and the long- awaited return of Macao to China on Dec. 20.

Issued along with the stamps are a series of philatelic products including first-day covers, souvenir sheets and postcards.

All stamps issued before Dec. 19 in Macao, except one series " Macao Architecture," will be withdrawn from circulation from that date, and the MSAR government will start to issue new stamps from January 1 next year.

To mark the return of Macao to its motherland, China's State Postal Bureau also plans to issue a stamp series in the Chinese mainland.