Macao to attend third PPRD Forum

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, is scheduled to leave for Yunnan on Sunday (4 June) to head a delegation to attend the third Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Regional Co-operation and Development Forum and Economic and Trade Co-operation Fair. The PPRD region, also known as ''9+2'' comprises the eight provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, the provincial-level autonomous region of Guangxi, and the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao. The forum will see the gathering of the highetst ranking officials from the PPRD region and provide them the platform to further enhance co-operation. They will also discuss co-operation in tourism, energy and transportation infrastructure, as well as enhancing links with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. The forum and the trade fair will be held mainly in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province, from 4 to 10 June. Mr Ho and his delegation will attend the opening ceremony of the forum in Qujing on 5 June. The following day they will attend he opening ceremony for the trade fair in Kunming. On the same day, Mr Ho and officials from the PPRD region will attend a session with representatives from the commerce departments of ASEAN and exchange views on how to step up co-operation. In the afternoon, the heads of the ''9+2'' region will deliver speeches to outline their ideas for regional development. They will hold a press conference in the evening. Mr Ho and his delegation will visit Lijiang and Shuhe ancient towns on 7 and 8 June. The Macao delegation includes Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen; Chief of Office of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Ho Veng On; Chief of Office of the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Lok Kit Sim; Chief of Office of the Office of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Wong Chan Tong; President of the Administration Committee of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, Mr Lau Si Io; President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Lee Peng Hong; Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; Acting Director of the Economic Services, Mr Sou Tim Peng.