Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, and his wife Peng Liyuan step out of the plane and greet the welcoming crowd in Macao, south China, Dec. 18, 2024. Xi arrived in Macao on Wednesday afternoon on a special plane. He will attend a gathering celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Friday. Xi will also inspect the Macao SAR. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

　　MACAO, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Macao on Wednesday afternoon, describing Macao as “a pearl on the palm“ of the motherland and expressing confidence in its promising future.

　　Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will attend a gathering celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Friday. He will also inspect the Macao SAR.

　　At Macao International Airport, the Macao police force band played lively welcome tunes. Dragon and lion dance filled the air with joy. Hundreds of people including children and representatives from various sectors waved the national flag, the flag of the Macao SAR and flowers, expressing their warm welcome.

　　At around 4 p.m., Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, stepped out of the cabin of the special plane and waved to the cheering crowd.

　　“Every visit to this beautiful place has been very delightful for me,“ Xi said in a brief speech at the airport.