In a statement, the MAC -- Taiwan's top China policy coordinating body -- congratulated Fernando Chui Sai On on his election as the new chief executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) and called on him to make bilateral ties closer than before.

Noting that both Taiwan and Macau sit in geographically significant positions as gateways, the MAC said closer and more stable ties between Taiwan and Macau would be conducive to the development of cross-Taiwan Strait relations.

The MAC statement expressed hope that Chui, who will replace Edmund Ho as the third head of the Macau SAR -- a former Portuguese overseas province -- will strengthen Macau's ties with Taiwan based on the solid foundation that was laid by Ho and his administrative team over the past 10 years.

Chui, who resigned May 12 as secretary for social affairs and culture of the Macau government to run as the sole candidate in the election for Macau's chief executive post, was elected Sunday the chief executive after getting 282 votes, or 94 percent of the votes, from Macau's 300-member Election Committee.

He is set to become the new chief executive Dec. 20 for a five-year term.

Born in Macau in 1957, Chui graduated from the California State University at Sacramento in community health and later obtained a Masters degree in health administration and a Ph.d in Public Health from the University of Oklahoma.

He was appointed secretary for social affairs and culture of the Macau government in 1999 and in 2004 was re-appointed for a second term.

(By Deborah Kuo)