来自澳门的全国人大代表抵达北京。 新华社记者丁林摄

The Macao Special Administrative Region is standing at a critical juncture in transforming from a gaming hub into a world-leading tourism and leisure center with a diversified economy, a senior Macao official said at a meeting with deputies to the National People's Congress on Thursday.

3月5日(周四)，一位澳门特别行政区高官在全国人大澳门代表团会议上说，澳门正处于从赌博集散地转型为经济多样化的世界顶级旅游休闲中心的关键时刻。

It is a major test for the SAR government to act proactively before the gambling industry hits an inflection point, and Macao must chart a careful course at this critical time, said Li Gang, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao at a meeting with Macao NPC deputies.

中央人民政府驻澳门联络办公室主任李刚在澳门特区人大代表团会议上表示，能否在博彩业到达拐点前先发制人，是对澳门特区政府的一大考验，澳门必须在这一关键时刻慎重规划。

"A midterm review of the current development of the gaming industry scheduled this year is expected to build consensus among society on how to meet the challenge," Li said.

李刚称，今年，澳门计划对博彩业目前发展状况做一次中期审查，并在全社会达成共识如何迎接挑战。

The latest data from the SAR's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau shows that Macao's gross gaming revenue dropped 48.6 percent in February to 19.5 billion patacas ($2.45 billion), its steepest ever year-on-year decline.

澳门博彩监察协调局的最新数据显示，澳门博彩业总收入2月下降了48.6%，跌至195亿澳元(24.5亿美元)，同比降幅创历史最高。

Li said he believes that the downward pressure on the mainland economy has resulted in a significant decline of customers to VIP rooms, which is the major cause of the recent sluggish revenue for gaming houses. The crackdown on corruption is just part of the problem, Li said.

李刚称，他认为大陆经济下行压力导致赌场贵宾厅的玩家人数大量减少，这是最近赌场收入下滑的主要原因。反腐倡廉也是原因之一。

"We noticed that some of the casinos are not performing their promises to diversify their business and provide more services for retailing, conferencing and exhibitions," Li said.

李刚称已经注意到，部分赌场并没有实现业务多样化的承诺，也并未提供零售、会议展览等多元服务。

The review is not about reissuing the existing gambling licenses, due in 2020, said Lionel Leong Vai Tac, Macao's secretary for economy and finance.

澳门经济与金融部长梁维特(Lionel Leong Vai Tac)指出，现有赌场的牌照将于2020年到期，但本次审查与此无关。

"The gaming companies control the most resources in Macao. We should take full advantage of this review to change the wait-and-see stance the industry takes. And we believe it's reasonable to grow nongaming industries with the help of gambling houses, " Leung said.

梁维特说：“博彩公司控制着澳门的多数资源。我们应充分利用这次审查来改变这一行业守株待兔的状态。并且，我们认为借助于赌场来发展非赌博性产业也是合理的。”

To avoid derailing Macao's phenomenal growth-its per capita GDP now ranks fourth in the world-the city is gearing itself up as a leading global tourism and leisure center, as well as a major platform to facilitate trade and business between Portuguese speaking regions.

目前，澳门人均国内生产总值居世界第四，为避免快速增长的澳门经济脱轨，澳门计划转变为全球主要旅游休闲中心，以及促进与中葡经贸合作的服务平台。

However, such a diversified economy, Li said, cannot be realized at the cost of sacrificing gaming interests, which are the pillar industry of Macao.

然而李刚强调，博彩业是澳门的龙头企业，我们不能用牺牲博彩业的利益来换取多元经济的发展。

Instead, the SAR's government should encourage the gaming houses to embrace the transition, a period estimated to last 20 to 30 years, he said.

李刚表示，澳门特区政府应鼓励赌场积极转型，这估计需要20到30年时间。

Vocabulary

juncture：时刻

proactively：主动地，先发制人地

inflection point：拐点，转折点

derail：脱轨

phenomenal：非凡的

facilitate：促进