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Beijing celebrates this anniversary fanfare since late November. An exhibition devoted to the achievements of Macao since the handover was opened December 11 in Beijing by Chinese President Hu Jintao. "Macau has grown tremendously during the last decade," he told the Chinese press. Development supported by the central government of China, he said.

Macau and China signed in 2003 a trade agreement (the CSIO), strengthened several times since. This agreement facilitates the access of goods and services macanas to mainland China. The trade has more than tripled between 1999 and 2008, reaching $ 2.91 billion last year.According to a report released December 16 by the Ministry of Commerce of China, mainland China was the third largest investor in Macao in late September, after the United States and the European Union, a non-financial direct investment of 623 million dollars.

Jubilation in the city of Macau, just after the handover ceremony. Photo credits: AFP

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