The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region received a delegation of cultural officials from Portuguese-speaking Countries last week. During the six-day visit, the group travelled to Guangzhou, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and Macao.

The programme included visits to intangible cultural heritage projects and cultural and tourism industry hubs, enabling the delegation to learn about achievements in cultural heritage preservation and cultural innovation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Luís Filipe Santos, head of the delegation and Director-General of Portugal’s Directorate-General for Books, Archives and Libraries, said that the initiative had enabled him to gain first-hand knowledge of the development of the Greater Bay Area. He highlighted Macao’s role as a platform connecting China and Portuguese-speaking Countries and expressed the hope that the Macao SAR would further strengthen its role as a cultural bridge to the Portuguese-speaking world.

Bian Lixin, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, said that the Commissioner’s Office would continue to support Macao in developing a window for exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilisations, while creating more opportunities for dialogue between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

(Source: TDM, 23 July)