Macao Polytechnic Institute held “Moderate Economic Diversity and Sustainable Development of Macao” Forum
In order to expand students’ horizons and to activate the academic atmosphere, the School of Business of Macao Polytechnic Institute recently held an academic forum on the "Moderate Economic Diversity and Sustainable Development of Macao", which has also been one of the key activities to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Polytechnic Institute. This forum invited three MPI alumni, including Song Wai Kit, President of the Macau Responsible Gaming Association; Leung Sio Kei, President of the Youth Association of Returned Overseas Chinese Macau, and Meng Zhanchen, Assistant Vice President of the Investment Banking Department of a well-known securities company in mainland China, as guest speakers, and Tang Chi Fong, a PhD student of the Macao Polytechnic Institute, as host.
Director Huang Guihai of the School of Business of Macao Polytechnic Institute addressed the opening of the forum. He recalled that since its return, Macao’s economy has achieved leapfrog development driven by the comprehensive tourism and leisure industry, and the per capita GDP was among the highest in the world. However, it must be acknowledged that despite the Macao government’s and society's various explorations and efforts over the years, the moderately diversified economy of Macao has not made substantial progress. The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 has made us truly feel the urgency and the importance of a stable and sustainable economic development in Macao. Therefore, it is self-evident to discuss the significance of "Macao's moderate economic diversification and sustainable development" at this time.
The forum focused on discussing how Macao should optimize its industrial structure, adjust its industrial layout, and coordinate with policy implementation to promote a moderately diversified economy and achieve long-term and sustainable development under the background of various opportunities and challenges. Song Wai Kit analyzed the history and current situation of Macao's gaming industry, and pointed out that Macao, as the core engine of regional development, should make good use of the "Framework Agreement on Deepening Cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to Promote the Construction of the Greater Bay Area" and give full play to the positioning of "One Center, One Platform, and One Base”, which according to Song, is in line with the development of the four major industries in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Shenzhen Cooperation Zone and at the same time help integrate the more-than-four-hundred-year history of Sino-Western cultural exchanges and the power of both new media and self-media to create new development momentum.
In the forum, Leung Sio Kei was also concerned about how young people could seek appropriate and diversified directions on their personal development whilst integrating into society. He pointed out that young people should improve themselves in terms of vision, interpersonal networks, social cognition and personal skills. They should give full play to their strengths and help promote the moderately diversified economy of Macao to achieve sustainable economic and social development.
Based on his personal experience in the financial sector of the Greater Bay Area, Meng Zhanchen, who participated in the forum online, also encouraged Macao students to actively equip themselves, expand their horizons, and integrate into the overall national development in the future. He believes that Macao has good conditions and foundations for the development of modern finance and so there is a lot of room for development in the bond issuance market, corporate financing, and the internationalization of the renminbi.
The three speakers and the host, as alumni of the School of Business of Macao Polytechnic Institute, also shared their successful experiences and answered the student audience's questions. They further encouraged the students to study hard, and contribute to the moderate economic diversity and sustainable development of Macao.
