The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, toasts at a reception in Lisbon, Portugal hosted by the Macao Special Administrative Region Government.
Macao would give further play to its role as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, and in particular work more closely with Portugal in terms of opportunities presented by the “Belt and Road” initiative, said the Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng.
The Chief Executive delivered a speech in the afternoon local time on Friday (21 April), in Lisbon, Portugal during a reception hosted by the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government. Mr Ho is leading a MSAR Government delegation and a group of Macao entrepreneurs on a visit to Portugal. They arrived in the country on Wednesday (19 April).
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Mr João Gomes Cravinho; the Minister of Education of Portugal, Mr João Costa; the Ambassador of China to Portugal, Mr Zhao Bentang; and Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Portuguese Republic, Ambassador Maria Amélia Maio de Paiva, were among those attending the reception.
In his speech, Mr Ho said China and Portugal had a long history of ties and of friendly relations. The “Belt and Road” initiative, proposed by China’s President Xi Jinping, had gained strong support from Portugal. Such effort not only helped promote high-quality strategic partnership between China and Portugal, but also generated fresh opportunities for friendly relations between Macao and Portugal.
Macao and Portugal had profound shared history, said Mr Ho. Before the establishment of the MSAR, Macao had developed sister-city ties with Lisbon, Porto, and Coimbra, respectively. The MSAR Government paid great attention to Macao-Portugal ties: there were reciprocal visits by governmental officials, and Macao had a close liaison with the Consulate General of Portugal in Macao and Hong Kong.
Macao and Portugal have held six meetings under the Macao-Portugal Joint Committee mechanism, and a number of cooperation agreements were signed during those meetings, noted Mr Ho.
The Chief Executive stated that, since January, Macao had seen a great increase in visitors, following the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The local economy had started to recover. The Portuguese community in Macao, an important element in the city, had gone through this adverse period with the rest of society, and played its part in various ways. Its contribution had helped accelerate Macao’s socioeconomic recovery, said Mr Ho.
At present, Macao was devoting full effort to promoting the development of the “Belt and Road” initiative, and of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, while in tandem giving full play to Macao’s advantages as “One Centre, One Platform, and One Base”, and pressing ahead with the city’s “1+4” appropriate diversification development strategy, said Mr Ho.
The Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin had been set up in September 2021, with an aim to facilitate Macao’s economic diversification. Macao had entered a new phase of development, and the implementation in the city of the “One country, two systems” principle had also ushered a new era, said Mr Ho.
In his address, Mr Ho extended an invitation to people in Portugal to visit Macao, and to seek new opportunities there.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr João Gomes Cravinho also delivered a speech at the reception.
He said the Macao delegation’s presence in Portugal was of special significance. Macao had great importance in terms of linking China and Portuguese-speaking countries, including Portugal. He hoped the visit would create better conditions for Macao entrepreneurs to facilitate partnerships between businesses in China and ones in Portugal.
The Government of Portugal would firmly abide by the "one-China principle”; the "One country, two systems" principle; and the MSAR Basic Law, as the basis for developing the relationship between Macao and Portugal, stressed the Minister.
In addition, the Government of Portugal had plans to send government officials and entrepreneurs to visit Macao to participate in the Ministerial Meeting of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, and a related Entrepreneur Conference. It was hoped to deepen the respective relationships between China and Portugal, and China and other Portuguese-speaking countries, via use of Macao as a platform. Macao’s platform role would become increasingly prominent, he added.
Approximately 300 guests attended the reception. They included: members of the MSAR Government delegation and accompanying Macao entrepreneurs; representatives respectively of the Government, parliament and law courts of the Portuguese Republic; representatives of Lisbon City Council; representatives of Portuguese educational institutions and media outlets; officials of the Chinese Embassy in Portugal; representatives of embassies of other countries in Portugal; representatives of Chinese enterprises and overseas Chinese associations in Portugal; officials that had served in Macao during the period of Portuguese administration; and other people with connection to Macao.
