The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, at a meeting with mayors invited to Macao for the second edition of the “Mayors’ Visiting Program”.
The Government will step up efforts to help Macao become an efficient platform for cooperation and exchanges among the economies covered by the Belt and Road Initiative, said today the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On.
Mr Chui’s comments were made during a meeting in Macao with mayors respectively from seven cities of neighbouring countries and from four cities on the mainland. The mayors were invited to Macao as part of the second edition of the “Mayors’ Visiting Program”.
Mr Chui said he believed the programme was one of the ways to promote cooperation between the mainland, Macao and the countries represented in the meeting. Such cooperation would focus on several areas, including: economy, trade, culture and tourism. More frequent exchanges would help strengthen cooperation and friendship ties, he added.
Macao is experiencing a period of both opportunities and challenges in terms of economic development, as the global economy faces a number of uncertainties. The city has been able to maintain a stable economic growth as a result of its ability to seize the opportunities arising from the national development strategies.
The Government is committed to transform Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure and into a commercial and trade cooperationservice platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries (collectively known as the “Centre and Platform” policies).
Speaking at the meeting, the Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Ye Dabo, said the “Mayors’ Visiting Program” aimed to explore new cooperation opportunities in several fields, including trade, culture, education and tourism. Discussions under the programme benefited from the visit of senior officials from cities of neighbouring countries, he added.
The participation of mayors from the mainland in this year’s event would also contribute to create a platform promoting complementarity between the mainland, Macao and these countries, in order to boost cooperation, said Mr Ye.
China is pressing ahead with the development of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (collectively known as the “Belt and Road” Initiative). The “Mayors’ Visiting Program” – taking place in Macao – would help representatives of the economies covered by the “Belt and Road” Initiative better to understand this development strategy, thus helping to increase cooperation, noted Mr Ye.
The Head of the “Mayors’ Visiting Program” and Governor of Siem Reap Province in the Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr Khim Bunsong, said he was pleased to witness the ongoing cooperation between Cambodia and Macao. He added that he expected closer cooperation and exchanges with China and Macao in areas such as trade and tourism.
The Kingdom of Cambodia maintains good relations with China on foreign affairs matters, he said. There have been a number of memorandums of understanding and agreements signed between Siem Reap Province and China. Cambodia has been receiving a great number of investment projects from China and welcomes large numbers of Chinese tourists, he added.
Mr Zhang Xinqi, Mayor of Qingdao, in the mainland’s Province of Shandong, said at the meeting that there were a significant number of potential cooperation opportunities between Qingdao and Macao that could be explored, given that the two cities are renowned tourism destinations. Mr Zhang said that – via the “Mayors’ Visiting Program” – he looked forward to a close partnership with Macao in areas such as culture, education and tourism.
Officials attending the second edition of the “Mayor’s Visiting Program” were: the Governor of Siem Reap Province, Kingdom of Cambodia, Mr Khim Bunsong; the Member of Central Party Committee, Member of Lao National Assembly, and Vice Mayor of Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mr Anouphab Tounalom; the Mayor of Yangon City, Yangon Region of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Mr Maung Maung Soe; the Mayor of Kuching City South Council, Sarawak State, Malaysia, Dato James Chan Khay Syn; the Mayor of Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Sheikh Anser Aziz; the District Secretary of Hambantota, Southern Province of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mr Wijerathna Haluge Karunarathna; the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Mr Pham Hong Ha; the Mayor of Qingdao Prefecture, Mr Zhang Xinqi; the Deputy Mayor of Chongqing Prefecture, Mr Liu Guiping; the Mayor of Zhuhai Prefecture, Mr Zheng Renhao; and Deputy Mayor of Chengdu Prefecture, Mr Fu Yonglin.
Macao officials attending the meeting included: the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan; the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; the Director of the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office, Mr Fung Sio Weng; the Director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Mr Ung Vai Meng; the Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; and the acting President of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Ms Irene V. K. Lau.
The Director of the Policy and Research Department of the Commissioner's Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Mr Ran Bo, also took part in today’s meeting.
During their stay in Macao from 21 to 23 August, officials joining the “Mayors’ Visiting Program” are scheduled to meet with Macao Government representatives for discussions related to tourism, culture, economy and trade. Tours have also been arranged to take the participants to Macao’s tourism sites.
This is the second edition of the “Mayors’ Visiting Program”, an event co-organised by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR. The first edition was held from 2 to 3 December 2015.