Macao's return to the motherland is the trend of history and the common desire of the Chinese people, and Macao surely will enjoy a brighter future, a senior Chinese official stationed in Macao said during a recent interview.

At zero hour of December 20, Macao returned to the embrace of the motherland, and Wang Qiren, head of the Xinhua News Agency Macao Branch, participated in this historic event.

Wang has been in his the current position for nearly five years.

"My understanding of the 'one country, two systems' concept created by Deng Xiaoping has deepened over the years," he said, stressing that "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems" is the best and most practical way to achieve China's goal of complete national reunification.

The history of China for thousands of years has been one of unification, he said. Since the Qin Dynasty, in spite of periods of separation, the country has been unified more than three- fourths of the time.

"Unification has been the persistent pursuit of the Chinese nation and the trend of history," he said.

Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997 was the first step of China's reunification process, Wang said. After two and a half years, any doubt about the implementation of the "one country, two systems" concept have been dispelled.

Thanks to the successful implementation of the principles of " one country two systems," "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong," and a high-degree of autonomy, Hong Kong has maintained sustained economic growth and social stability in spite of the Asian economic crisis, according to Wang.

Macao's return marks the second step of China's reunification process, and further validates the correctness of the "one country, two systems" theory, he maintained.

The 1978 Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration was reached under the guidance of the "one country, two systems" concept, he said.

"Although many difficulties and disputes between the two countries emerged in the ensuing years, they have been resolved under the guidance of this concept," he said.

Wang Qiren noted that there is another and the final step in China's reunification process, the resolution of the Taiwan question.

Deng's "one country, two systems" theory was actually put forward to resolve the Taiwan question, but was put into practice first in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong and Macao were ruled by foreigners until China resumed the exercise of sovereignty over them. "But the Taiwan question is the internal affair of China, and no foreign meddling shall be tolerated," Wang Qiren said, adding that China will, as always, adhere to the one-China principle.

Wang said that Macao maintains close relations with Taiwan in the areas of the economy, trade, cultural, and personnel exchanges and cooperation, and serves as a bridge between China's mainland and Taiwan.

The return of Macao reflects the Chinese government's determination and confidence in national reunification.

As for the development of Macao after the handover, Wang said that despite its small size, Macao has great potential.

Thanks to the reform and opening-up of China's inland areas since the late 1970s, Macao's economy has been booming, and its four pillar industries -- tourism and recreation, manufacturing and exporting, finance and insurance, and real estate -- have developed greatly.

In recent years, the number of tourists visiting Macao has been from seven to eight million annually, or 20 times the local population.

This is a very rare ratio, and demonstrates the unique potential for Macao's economic development, Wang Qiren concluded.