The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac (6th right, front), and the Vice Governor of Fujian Province, Mr Liang Jianyong (6th left, front), pose for a group photo during the first Fujian-Macao cooperation meeting.
The Government has signed three agreements with the government of Fujian Province during the first Fujian-Macao cooperation meeting held in Macao. The three agreements signed on Monday (17 October) were: the cooperation agreement on strengthening economic and trade cooperation between Fujian and Macao; the memorandum of cooperation on medical and health exchanges between Fujian and Macao; the memorandum of cooperation on strengthening tourism cooperation between the Pingtan General Experimentation Area Tourism Board of Fujian Province and the Macao Government Tourism Office of the Macao Special Administrative Region. The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac – representing the Government in the meeting – said the gathering marked an opportunity for a further optimisation of the mechanism for Fujian-Macao cooperation. The meeting was attended by the Vice Governor of Fujian Province, Mr Liang Jianyong, and officials from that province responsible for supervising the economy, business, tourism, health, finance, education and culture. Macao would use its unique advantages in order to contribute to the country’s development of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (collectively known as “Belt and Road” initiative), said Mr Leong. The Fujian government has the opportunity to make use of Macao’s role as a platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries, thereby boosting Fujian’s economic exchanges, trade, and investment with Portuguese-speaking countries, said the Secretary. The Government would intensify the existing Fujian-Macao cooperation model to the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) industry in particular, enhancing the role of environmentally friendly practices and policies in the sector’s operations, said Mr Leong. The Secretary also stated the two places should strengthen and diversify tourism promotion efforts, in order to push forward a multi-destination travel model. Fujian and Macao would additionally explore further the opportunities in maritime tourism, themed around cultural activities related to the goddess A-Ma. Mr Leong said the two sides would strengthen exchanges in cultural affairs, education, and youth affairs, in order to expand cooperation into fields related to the respective livelihoods of the two communities. Officials attending the meeting included: the Deputy Director General of Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Mr Zhu Hong; the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Lok Kit Sim; and the Deputy Secretary General of Fujian Provincial Government, Mr Zhan Zhijie.
