Sam, who served as president of Macau’s apex court since the 1999 handover, was the sole candidate in October’s leadership race and received 99 percent of votes from a 400-person committee of Beijing loyalists.
The 62-year-old Zhongshan, China native is Macau’s first post-handover leader to be born in mainland China and not have a background in business.
When Macau reverted to Chinese rule on December 20, 1999, Beijing promised that the city’s “capitalist system and way of life” would remain unchanged for 50 years.
The city is now regarded by China as a shining example of its “One Country, Two Systems” model — in contrast with neighbouring Hong Kong, which was rocked by sometimes violent pro-democracy protests until a Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020.
After the handover, Macau grew into the world’s casino capital by gaming revenue and a popular destination for Chinese tourists.
