The Organiser held a press conference on 30 May
Co-organised by the China International Contractors Association and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, the 14th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) will be held from 1 to 2 June at the Venetian Macao Cotai Expo. The Forum is expected to draw more than 3,000 guests this year, more than doubling the number of attendees from the previous year, including ministerial-level officials， senior executives of financial institutions, international contractors included in the ENR’s Top 250 International Contractors, international organisations， international business associations， and supply chain enterprises. In addition, the exhibition of the Forum is relocated to the Exhibition Hall for the first time, with 90% of booths being specially customised. Activities such as brand promotion, enterprise roadshows and business meetings will be held throughout the Forum to create a new dimension for win-win cooperation in infrastructure construction.
The organiser held a press conference today (30) at which Mr Fang Qiuchen, Chairman of the China International Contractors Association, and Mr U U Sang, President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, gave an overview of the event’s preparations.
More than doubled attendance, bringing together world elites from infrastructure construction to advance sustainable development
Mr Fang Qiuchen noted that the Forum will be held fully offline under the theme of “Green Leadership, Digital Intelligence, Financial Empowerment, Win-Win Co-operation”. It will be attended by more than 3,000 guests from over 60 countries and regions (with an increase in on-site attendees of more than 100%), including more than 40 ministers and officials of higher levels (sub-national level guests including Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia), senior executives from nearly 20 financial institutions, over 70 contractors included in the ENR’s Top 250 International Contractors, more than 10 international organisations, over 10 international business associations and more than 700 supply chain enterprises.
During the event, two thematic forums and ten parallel forums will be set up, fully leveraging the professional platform to deepen international exchanges and networking among the political, business and academic elites from the infrastructure sector, and jointly promoting sustainable development of the international infrastructure construction.
In addition, exhibitions are also set up. A wealth of supporting activities are also arranged in the exhibition area, such as inviting important guests to tour the exhibition, organising brand promotion, enterprise roadshows and business meetings, etc. It aims to enhance the exchanges and interaction between exhibitors and relevant parties, reflect the achievements of international cooperation in the industry, demonstrate the international influence of the “China Construction” brand, and further promote and support the involvement of infrastructure enterprises and organisations in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative and global infrastructure cooperation.
Welcoming three “new” in the Forum
Mr U U Sang stated that there are three “new” elements included in this year’s event. New phase: This event is the first of its kind to be held since the resumption of normal border arrangements. For the first time since 2019, Macao is again welcoming a sizable number of guests from different countries and regions, and there has been a noticeable increase in the number of participants from overseas clients and businesses. New arrangements: The scale of the exhibition continues to grow, for the first time, the Forum will be held in a standard exhibition hall. Three major technological achievements in regional interconnectivity, low-carbon development technologies, digitalisation and innovation capabilities will be highlighted at the exhibition. Through physical models and AR technologies, it is able to showcase to the public large-scale infrastructure equipment; major infrastructure projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; and new materials, new technologies, and new techniques in the field of environmental protection. New index: This year, the IIICF will release a separate report - The Report on Portuguese-speaking Countries’ Infrastructure Development Index, emphasising the role of the Macao SAR as a platform for cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.
Moreover, apart from the continued participation of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, ten Macao enterprises and organisations will also be exhibiting for the first time, reflecting the increased participation of the industry in Macao, which is expected to further help Macao enterprises to keep abreast of the new international trends and seize new opportunities in infrastructure construction.
Brand-new presence of the exhibition with 1.5-fold increase in space and 90% of specially customised booths
For the first time, the exhibition of the Forum is moved to the Exhibition Hall. The exhibition area is 1.5 times greater than that of the previous edition and over 90% of it is taken up by specifically customised booths. The exhibits have also been improved from basic images to a combination of physicals and models, thoroughly showcasing the industry’s top-notch accomplishments in constructing the Belt and Road Initiative. Of which, three major technical achievements will be highlighted: 1. Regional interconnectivity, demonstrating supply chain enterprises’ advanced technologies in infrastructure construction for ports, roads, bridges, railways, airports and urban development. 2. Low-carbon development technologies, unveiling achievements in clean energy, smart city construction, green construction and other low-carbon development technologies, as well as contributions to waste management, water conservation and environmental protection. 3. Digitalisation and innovation capabilities, revealing China’s capacity for digitalisation and innovation by manifesting its achievements in smart transportation, smart highways and cutting-edge construction machinery.
Strengthening the China-PSC elements and driving Macao’s adequate economic diversification
The Forum will also release The Belt and Road Infrastructure Development Index (2023) and the report, as well as the first-ever Report on Portuguese-speaking Countries Infrastructure Development Index, which aims to highlight the role of the Macao SAR as a platform connecting China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. At the same time, a parallel forum on “Green Development of Infrastructure Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” will be held to explore new approaches to collaboration on green and low-carbon development of infrastructure in Mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries.
The IIICF has been successfully held in Macao for 11 consecutive years since 2012. Moreover, the scale, level and international influence of the Forum are on a constant rise. For more information on the Forum, please visit https://www.iiicf.org/ or follow the Forum’s official WeChat account “IIICF-MACAO”.
