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By Alexandra Stevenson and Zixu Wang
Reporting from Macau
Macau, the gambling capital of the world, is intertwined with its Chinese neighbor: one person, education, and construction at a time.
Macau, a former Portuguese colony, was reconquered 25 years ago through China and declared a special administrative zone, part of the continent but with some independence. Beijing agreed not to touch the 12-square-mile territory.
Like its neighbor Hong Kong, Macau would be part of China but free to govern itself and manage its economy without interference from Beijing. It is now the most lucrative gambling destination in the world, attracting major American casinos such as Wynn and Sands and catering primarily to Chinese tourists.
Now China’s political experiment in Macau is undergoing another transition. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, who visited Macau this week to mark the anniversary of the territory’s “return to the motherland,” wants Macau to operate less independently of mainland China. In Mr. Xi’s vision, Macau will wean itself off an economic reliance on gambling and play a role in boosting China’s own lagging consumer economy.
At the heart of this new push is Hengqin, a Chinese island separated from Macau by a river.
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