The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, poses for a group photograph at a welcome reception hosted in Brussels by representatives of the overseas Chinese community in Belgium
While in Belgium, the Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, attended in the afternoon local time on Tuesday (25 April) a reception of welcome hosted in the capital Brussels by leaders of the overseas Chinese community in Belgium. Mr Ho said he hoped the community’s leaders would strengthen ties with Macao businesses for mutual economic benefit.
Brussels is the last stop of a visit to Europe by Mr Ho and a Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government delegation. They had also visited Portugal and Luxembourg. The delegation is to return to Macao on Thursday (27 April).
At the welcoming reception, the Chief Executive briefed overseas Chinese community leaders on the latest developments in, and prospects for respectively, Macao, the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Macao was small in geographic size but had its inherent advantages, and was full of opportunities, said Mr Ho. With the return, since January, of pre-pandemic travel protocols between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, the city had seen an increasing number of visitors, and the economy had seen gradual recovery. In the meantime, the MSAR Government had been stepping up its promotional effort, in particular in overseas countries and regions, to expand Macao’s sources of international visitors.
The Chief Executive said the MSAR Government had adopted a “1+4” approach to support Macao’s appropriate economic diversification. Such a strategy aimed to enrich Macao’s function as “One Centre” for integrated tourism and leisure, while facilitating the development of four nascent industries, namely “Big Health”; modern financial services; high and new technology; and convention and exhibition, sports, and the commercial and trade industries.
Giving a detailed briefing on the prospects of the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Mr Ho invited the overseas Chinese community to visit respectively Macao, the Cooperation Zone, and other places within the Greater Bay Area, to witness the opportunities there.
The Ambassador of China to Belgium, Mr Cao Zhongming, also attended the reception. He said in his speech that the MSAR enjoyed special advantages, such as support from the motherland, and connection to the outside world.
As Macao advanced development in the fields of economics, trade, people-to-people exchange, and tourism – including expanding cooperation with Europe and the rest of the world – there would be a speedy recovery in Macao’s economy, and diversification in the structure of its industry, said the Ambassador. The Embassy would continue to work with the MSAR Government to deepen cooperation between Macao and European countries, promoting further development of Macao's economy, including its cultural affairs and tourism sectors, as well as its society, added Mr Cao.
Representative of the overseas Chinese community in Belgium and the President of the Belgium branch of the China Council for Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, Mr Zhu Haian, said overseas Chinese in Belgium had always actively participated in, and supported, the motherland’s advancement and economic development, while promoting the peaceful reunification of the country.
Since the establishment of the MSAR, under the strong protection of the MSAR Basic Law, Macao has seen great progress in its economic development, improvement in people's livelihoods, and maintenance of social stability, noted Mr Zhu. The overseas Chinese community would continue to strengthen ties and exchanges with Macao, helping the MSAR to give better play to its own advantages, with a view to fostering economic, trade and cultural exchanges and cooperation between Belgium and Macao.
Guests attending the reception included Macao’s Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo do Rosário; and the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office of the MSAR, Ms Hoi Lai Fong; along with representatives from the overseas Chinese community in Belgium.
