Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, who is visiting Zhaoqing, one of the city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, meets with the Secretary of CPC Zhaoqing Municipal Committee, Mr Mr Lai Zehua.
A Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government delegation, led by Chief Executive Mr Chui Sai On, visited yesterday (9 July) the cities of Zhaoqing and Foshan, as part of a tour of cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area). The visits aimed to gain insights into the respective development of those cities.
The delegation first visited Zhaoqing, and was briefed by the city's leading officials on Zhaoqing’s participation in the development of the Greater Bay Area.
During the visit, members of the delegation listened to a detailed presentation on the Zhaoqing New Area.
During a seminar in Zhaoqing, Mr Chui stated that Zhaoqing is the only city within the Greater Bay Area that serves as a gateway to southwest China. Zhaoqing and Macao maintain a close geographical, social and cultural relationship, and together formed one of the earliest platforms for exchanges between Chinese and Western cultures, he added.
Such relationship created a broad scope for complementary cooperation between the two cities in several fields, including economy, culture and tourism, noted Mr Chui. By seizing the opportunities arising from the development of the Greater Bay Area, both parties would jointly explore and facilitate further cooperation between Zhaoqing and Macao, said the Chief Executive.
Mr Chui concluded his remarks with four suggestions for Zhaoqing and Macao to take full advantage of their participation in the development of the Greater Bay Area:
First, Zhaoqing and Macao should seize the opportunities and joint potential for innovation, to jointly participate in the development of the Greater Bay Area, making full use of their respective advantages in terms of heritage, cultural and tourism resources, in order to explore further cooperation in future projects and implement innovative cooperation models;
Second, both cities should leverage their respective advantages to boost cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries. Macao should make use of the Central People’s Government’s policies and measures aiming to support economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as strengthen Macao’s bridging functions as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries (known as the “Platform” policy), and accelerate the establishment of the “three centres”. This year, the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute has successfully organised a “Portuguese-speaking Countries Product Promotion and Business Matching Session” in Zhaoqing, attracting a number of local enterprises. It is expected that additional economic and trade exchanges will be held, in order to foster more business opportunities and exchanges between enterprises from, respectively, Zhaoqing, Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries;
Third, Zhaoqing and Macao should jointly strive to enhance environmental protection measures, in order to build a greener Greater Bay Area. Zhaoqing constantly promotes development that incorporates green concepts, in order to foster sustainable, low-carbon industries. The Chief Executive welcomed the People's Government of Zhaoqing Municipality to organise delegations to visit Macao and participate in the Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum (MIECF) and other related events, with the aim to explore new green business opportunities; and
Fourth, the two cities should foster more exchanges between young people. The Macao SAR Government is devoted to creating policies that help broaden the horizons for young people, and support the development of their creativity. To encourage young people to be actively involved in the development of the Greater Bay Area, the Chief Executive invited the Zhaoqing authorities and that city’s youth leaders to organise delegations to visit Macao.
The Macao SAR delegation visited Foshan in the afternoon, and met with the Secretary of the CPC Municipal Committee of Foshan, Mr Lu Yi. Both parties agreed that they could mutually benefit from strengthening cooperation to tie in with the development of the Greater Bay Area.
During the meeting, Mr Chui explained the two-pronged approach of the delegation’s visit to Foshan:
First, Macao should learn from the successful experiences of Foshan, given that the city is one of the most important manufacturing hubs within the Greater Bay Area; and
Second, following the signing last year of the “Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Greater Bay Area”, the Macao SAR Government was actively fulfilling its role in providing feedback and conducting research on this matter. It is hoped that the latest visit to Foshan would help strengthen cooperation and exchanges between the two cities, in a pursuit for further development based on the existing solid foundation.
Mr Chui said that besides cooperation between Macao and Foshan in education, culture, trade and technology, the Macao SAR Government also attached great importance to cooperation on young entrepreneurship, hoping to offer youth more opportunities for development, by supporting and encouraging them to take part in the development of the Greater Bay Area.
The Chief Executive also emphasised the importance of human resources for development, adding that Macao and Foshan could enhance cooperation in people-to-people exchanges and training of talented people. Macao was also looking forward to collaborating with Foshan in helping mainland China enterprises to expand into international markets, namely to Portuguese-speaking countries and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Macao SAR officials attending the meetings in Zhaoqing and Foshan included: the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan; Executive Council spokesperson Mr Leong Heng Teng and members Mr Liu Chak Wan, Mr Ma Iao Lai, Mr Cheang Chi Keong, Mr Chan Meng Kam, Ms Ho Sut Heng and Mr Lam Kam Seng; and the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms O Lam.