State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said Friday that the United States supports the Sino-Portuguese agreement which guarantees Macau's autonomy. The Portuguese enclave is 40 miles west of Hong Kong. Ninety-seven percent of Macau's roughly 450,000 people are of Chinese descent. The rest are from Portugal or were born of Portuguese descent in the territory. Cantonese is the language spoken by the Chinese majority.
Main exports are textiles, electronic goods and toys.
Gambling provides about half of government revenue. Executive power is held by a governor appointed by the president of Portugal. The 23-member Legislative Assembly, which includes appointed and elected deputies, votes on government legislative proposals. Macau was first settled by Portuguese traders in 1557 as a base for their China trade and was ceded to Portugal by China in 1887. Both countries defined Macau as Chinese territory under temporary administration by Portugal when they formalized diplomatic relations in 1979.