"Even when the Portuguese were still running Macao, the local government was interested in getting Macao recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site," says Macao Monthly editor-in-chief Wong Ting-cheong. "But such applications had to be made by a 'sovereign state,' which meant that as a colony Macao could do nothing but wait."
「早在葡萄牙執政時期，殖民政府就有意申請，將澳門列入聯合國世界人類遺產項目，」澳門月刊社社長王定昌指出，「但由於這項申請必須由『主權國』出面，處於殖民狀態的澳門只能等待。」