Macao to better serve as a platform for the PPRD and Portuguese-speaking countries

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today the Macao SAR would make an all-out effort to serve as platform between the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) and Portuguese-speaking countries, and to provide potential markets for members of the PPRD. Mr Ho stressed on Macao’s increasingly important role as platform for the PPRD and Portuguese-speaking countries when he attended a joint conference with leaders of the governments of the nine PPRD provinces and the HK Special Administrative Region. “Since the establishment of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) in 2003, the total volume of trade has been raised from US$100 millions to US$300 millions between China and Portuguese-speaking countries,” he said. “Most of the Portuguese-speaking countries are developing countries which have a great need in techniques and capital no matter in producing what kind of product. Macao will act according to the instructions given by the Central Government to provide potential markets for members from PPRD. “Over the past year, Fujian which is a member of the PPRD, has a relatively extensively contact with the Portuguese-speaking countries: we can see there is a great potential in trading and investment co-operation between the two parties,” Mr Ho said. The Chief Executive also said that Macao was studying ways to work with media from the PPRD as strengthening of information exchange and co-operation would benefit the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), he added. Due to its historical background, Macao maintains traditionally close and special economic and trade, cultural and personal links with Portuguese-speaking countries. The Central Government designated the Macao SAR to organise the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) to promote the development, and to strengthen the economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and to leverage Macao’s position as platform to bring China and Portuguese-speaking countries together.