The Macao Special Administrative Region has developed quickly since its return to the motherland, Italian experts say.

Over the past years, Macao has changed very much thanks to the "one country, two systems" policy, Alessandra Lavagnino, a Sinologist and professor of Chinese language and culture at the University of Milan, told Xinhua in a recent interview ahead of the 15th anniversary of Macao's return to China on Saturday.

"From a dozy city, Macao has transformed into an international metropolis," Lavagnino said.

"China's 'one country, two systems' policy has generated more wealth for everybody and allowed the city to tap its potential," she added.

Romeo Orlandi, vice-president of the Osservatorio Asia think tank in Bologna, said he recently visited Macao and was impressed by the positive results produced by the "one country, two systems" policy.

Incomes in Macao, which retained its existing capitalist system in line with the policy after it returned to the motherland in 1999, have exponentially grown, he noted, driven by the gambling sector, which is legal in the SAR.

Before rejoining the motherland, Macao was considered a sort of "poor relation" of Hong Kong, but has now gained new status, Orlandi pointed out.

The SAR has left behind the image of a city "laid down on the past" to "enter globalization with full rights through China," he said. "There are no more factories in Macao ... The ancient charm of the city is mixed up with modernization."

Macao has established a "win-win" relationship with the motherland that has benefited both, he added.

Echoing Orlandi's view, Laura De Giorgi, a professor of history of modern and contemporary China at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, said Macao's experience over the past 15 years "is universally considered a success story".

"Just think of the SAR economic growth as a result of the gaming industry liberalization and the growing importance of Macao for international tourism," she said.

According to De Giorgi, the local government has set the conditions for a "significant improvement of social protection and the education system in the region."

Meanwhile, she noted, the SAR is also faced with major challenges relating to the sustainability of the economy, as well as the need to expand the civil society's participation to government activities.

"Yet, Macao is on its way to becoming a global, cosmopolitan and international metropolis, and a bridgehead for relations between China and the Portuguese-speaking world," said the professor.