Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao)

The Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), also known as Forum Macao, was launched in October 2003. It resulted from an initiative by China’s Central Government, in co-ordination with seven Portuguese-speaking Countries — namely Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and East Timor — and with the collaboration of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR). São Tomé and Príncipe joined Forum Macao in March 2017, becoming the eighth Portuguese-speaking Country to join the organisation.

Forum Macao is a multilateral, intergovernmental co-operation mechanism aimed at promoting economic and trade exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, by using Macao as a connecting platform between those places.

Up to now, six Forum Macao Ministerial Conferences have been held, all of them in Macao. They were in October 2003; September 2006; November 2010; November 2013; October 2016; and April 2024. At each of those meetings, the respective participants approved an individual Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation. Each Strategic Plan for each edition of the Ministerial Conferences has identified a number of areas for co-operation, including  trade; investment; digital economy; blue economy; agriculture; finance; technology; development co-operation; infrastructure; transport; medical and health; cooperation in sustainable development and environmental conservation, education and human resources; culture and tourism; media; press and publications; sports; intergovernmental cooperation; co-operation among provinces and municipalities; cooperation among smal; and medium-sized enterprisesand cooperation with international organizations.

The Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting was held both online and in person in Beijing and Macao in April 2022, during which the participating countries' ministers signed the Joint Declaration. Participating Countries have fully implemented each Strategic Plan approved since Forum Macao was launched, thus contributing to the constant increase in cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries in various fields.