On May 30, former President of Timor-Leste Mr José Manuel Ramos-Horta paid a visit to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao. He was welcomed by: Deputy Secretaries-General Mr Ding Tian and Mr Rodrigo Brum; the Coordinator of the Support Office, Ms Teresa Mok; and the Representative of Timor-Leste in the Permanent Secretariat, Mr Danilo Henriques.

Deputy Secretary-General Ding thanked Mr Ramos-Horta for visiting and gave him a brief presentation on the work carried out by the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao in various areas, including trade and investment promotion, cooperation with provinces and municipalities on the Chinese mainland, cooperation on human resources topics, and cultural exchanges. Mr Ding said that the Permanent Secretariat was committed to boosting cooperation between Mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, including Timor-Leste.

Mr Ramos-Horta thanked the Permanent Secretariat for a warm welcome and stressed that his visit was aimed at boosting friendly relations between Timor-Leste and China. The former President of Timor-Leste discussed his country’s current state of economic development, and expressed full support for the “Belt and Road” initiative. He added, however, that the initiative should be further promoted in Timor-Leste. Mr Ramos-Horta stated that he hoped that Forum Macao would boost cooperation promotion in the fields of education and healthcare, as well as in the eradication of poverty. He also expressed high appreciation for Macao’s growing economic development, and for Macao’s role as platform for promoting cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.