Macao Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ao Ieong U has promised that the Macao SAR Government will invest more in higher education with a view to making the city a centre for tuning out people bilingual in Chinese and Portuguese, the Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) says.

The institute issued a written statement quoting Ms Ao as saying at its latest graduation ceremony, held last week, that the investment is a manifestation of the drive to make the economy of Macao more diverse.

The statement quotes MPI President Marcus Im Sio Kei as saying the MPI is keen to help Macao serve its purposes as a bridge between China and the Portuguese-speaking world, and as a place for turning out bilinguists.

Mr Im believes the Greater Bay Area Portuguese Language Education Alliance will increase coordination in Macao, Hong Kong and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong of the instruction of people that show talent for learning languages, the MPI says.