MACAO, Dec. 20 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday urged continued efforts to enhance social harmony and stability in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

"Both the SAR government and people from all walks of life in Macao must doubly cherish and do everything they can to safeguard harmony and stability in Macao," Xi said at a celebration gathering marking the 15th anniversary of Macao's return to China.

The president also urged the SAR government to "put people first," properly respond to diverse demands in the society, balance the interests of various sides and foster a more equitable and just social environment.

The SAR government needs to make sure that the Macao people have better access to the fruits of development, improve their quality of life and increase their happiness index, he said.

Meanwhile, the president called on the Macao people to continue to love Macao and the motherland, support the work of the chief executive and the SAR government in governing Macao in accordance with law, strengthen social cohesion and positive energy, and work jointly for long-term prosperity and stability of Macao.

Xi also emphasized the need to guard against external infiltration and interference, so as to maintain the sound atmosphere of stability and unity in Macao.

To learn about local residents' lives, Xi, shortly after arriving here Friday, paid a visit to a government-funded public housing estate, chatting with families in the neighborhood about their life and work.

"The visit has opened a window for me to see the happy life enjoyed by people in Macao. It has also reflected Macao's gratifying success in growing the economy, raising living standards and maintaining social stability," he told guests at a welcoming dinner hosted by the SAR government Friday evening.

Chui Sai On, the new-term chief executive of the Macao SAR, said that the SAR government will continue to intensify the establishment of long-term mechanisms for social security, health-care, housing, education and talent cultivation.

The SAR government is also considering formulating long-term mechanism for allocation of fiscal surplus, so that social resources can be used more effectively, fairly and justly, workers can enjoy more dignity and upward mobility, said Chui.

Macao's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 413.47 billion patacas (51.76 billion U.S. dollars) in 2013, up from 50.27 billion patacas in 1999, with an average annual growth of 16.2 percent.

The region's GDP per capita jumped from 15,000 U.S. dollars in 1999 to 87,000 dollars in 2013, which ranks the second highest in Asia and the fourth in the world.

Meanwhile, Macao's unemployment rate dropped from 6.3 percent in 1999 to 1.7 percent in January 2014. The average monthly income tripled to 15,000 patacas from 4,920 patacas and the life expectancy of local citizens grew from 80.7 years in 1999 to 85 at present, the second longest in the world.