The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, meets with Macao students studying in Portugal during his visit to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, urged Macao young people studying in Portugal to make good use of their time overseas, so that on their return home they could further integrate into overall national development, and serve the country and the Macao community.
Mr Ho, who arrived in Portugal on Wednesday (19 April) for a four-day visit to the country, held an exchange session and hosted a dinner in the capital Lisbon during the evening local time on Friday (21 April) for Macao students in Portugal.
Some 130 students attended the event. Their respective areas of study cover law, translation, Portuguese studies, business administration, dentistry, marketing, criminology, bioengineering, and architecture.
The Chief Executive told the students that the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government had devoted a huge amount of resources to education, even during the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when there had been a shortfall in Government revenue. The Government had high expectations of those studying overseas, and trusted they would broaden their horizons, and acquire professional knowledge and skills, during their time away.
Serving the country and the Macao community should be considered a mission for young people, Mr Ho told the students. They should be willing to take on challenges courageously, and incessantly hone their skills in order to improve themselves. Youth was the best time in life, but it passed quickly. The Chief Executive urged the students to cherish their valuable overseas experience, be supportive of their peers, and appreciate friendships made while overseas.
Some of the students present shared their thoughts. Student Lai Hiu Yan thanked the MSAR Government for arranging the event, letting the young people to voice their thoughts. She thanked the Government for allocating anti-epidemic materials, even during the period of global shortage in the COVID-19 pandemic, to students aboard, and for setting up social media groups for students sharing their up-to-date situation at that time.
Ms Lai noted the MSAR Government had a comprehensive programme to support youth development. It not only supported young people to study aboard, but also arranged exchange tours to the mainland, including cities that are part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Ms Lai added she looked forward to serving her home community when back in Macao, thanks to becoming bilingual in Portuguese and Chinese.
Noting that a great number of Macao students were engaging in legal studies in Portugal, the Chief Executive additionally said the development of the Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin required legal professionals not only familiar with Macao’s legal system, but also with laws in the mainland.
Four nascent industries – which Macao was pressing ahead to develop – provided fresh opportunities for young people, said Mr Ho. The Islands District Medical Complex, to be inaugurated in phases from the end of 2023, would be an optimal opportunity for the medical students upon graduation.
The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo do Rosário; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Hoi Lai Fong; the Director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau, Mr Kong Chi Meng; and the Acting Director of the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, Ms Lúcia Abrantes dos Santos, were also present at the exchange session and dinner in Lisbon.
Prior to meeting Macao students, the Chief Executive visited the University of Lisbon and witnessed the signing ceremony for a strategic cooperation framework agreement between the University of Macau and the University of Lisbon. While in the University of Lisbon, Mr Ho learnt about projects of industrialising scientific study developed jointly by Portuguese biotechnology company TechnoPhage and the University of Macau.
