11 cities from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area sign the “Memorandum of Co-operation for Consumer Protection in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area”
Consumer organizations from 9 cities in the Greater Bay Area and 2 special administrative regions held a work conference on 10 April in Macao. Discussion and planning on work projects regarding consumer rights protection were made, and a “Memorandum of Co-operation for Consumer Protection in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area” was signed.
Macao Consumer Council’s role as a “platform” as stated in the memorandum
The SAR Government pays special attention to the national policy regarding the initiative to develop the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, the Consumer Council plays an active role to encourage interaction and co-operation between consumer organizations of the Mainland and Portuguese-speaking countries. To enhance the function of Macao as a service platform, the Council advocates the signing of “Memorandum of Co-operation for Consumer Protection in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area”, the memorandum not only enhances information exchange among the 11 cities in the Greater Bay Area but also assigns the Macao Consumer Council as the platform for case referring between cities in the Area and Portuguese consumer organizations, procedures on how cases will be handled are also included in the memorandum.
The Macao Consumer Council has been working closely with consumer organizations in the Mainland and Portuguese-speaking countries for a long time, and its role as the “contact” after the signing of the memorandum is being highlighted, better services can be provided to citizens in the respective regions, and consumers’ confidence will be enhanced through a more comprehensive co-operative mechanism. Tourism in the respective regions will be encouraged, and thus helping the setup of Macao’s role as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
At a ceremony witnessed by the members of the General Committee of the Macao Consumer Council and representative of Guangdong Province Consumer Council, representatives of consumer organizations from Guangzhou City, Shenzhen City, Zhuhai City, Foshan City, Huizhou City, Dongguan City, Zhongshan City, Jiangmen City, Zhaoqing City, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR signed the “Memorandum of Co-operation for Consumer Protection in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area” in Macao.
Work projects explored on conference
All consumer organizations participated in a work conference to discuss on plans and work projects, the Macao Consumer Council also introduced the arbitration system of the Macao Arbitration Centre ad well as the development and progress of its “Certified Shop” mechanism.
The Council indicates that details for referring cases have been discussed earlier with the Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection (DECO) and both parties will confirm with the specific co-operative terms as soon as possible.
Arbitration service launched between HK and Macao
After the launch of cross-border arbitration service between Macao and Zhuhai in March, Hong Kong Consumer Council also accepted the Council’s invitation to launch the same service. Hong Kong consumers can now choose to solve their disputes through arbitration to save time. The Council hopes to expand the service of cross-border arbitration to other countries and cities after the Greater Bay Area initiative to offer better services to consumers and enhance their confidence in visiting Macao.