A delegation of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) visited the Chinese city of Qingdao from December 6 to 8.

Under the “Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of Economic Cooperation Partnerships” signed last year by Forum Macao and Qingdao authorities, the two parties will launch a series of economic and trade activities in order to further promote the economic and commercial cooperation between Qingdao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, as well as to promote production capacity cooperation and to strengthen cooperation between all the parties.

During the visit to Qingdao, the delegation was warmly welcomed by the leaders of the Qingdao, including the Mayor Meng Fanli. Mr Meng said he hopes that, through the multilateral mechanism of Forum Macao, Qingdao can make use of its advantages to promote further trade and investment cooperation between the enterprises of the city and those of Portuguese-speaking Countries. The parties also exchanged opinions on promoting the development of different industries.

The Permanent Secretariat organised a “Meeting on Production Capacity Cooperation between Qingdao, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries”. It was attended by representatives of, respectively, the Qingdao Bureau of Commerce, the Administrative Committee of the Qiangdao Jiaozhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Jiaozhou Development and Reform Bureau, as well as representatives of local enterprises from different industries, including electricity, home appliances, construction materials, civil engineering, real estate, finance, agribusiness, textile technology, biopharmaceutical, alcohol and beverages, foodstuff, information, technology, import and export, port and maritime transportation and logistics.

During the meeting, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Mr Rodrigo Brum, did a presentation about Forum Macao and the role of Macao as a platform. He also introduced the latest developments regarding cooperation on production capacity. The Director of the Qingdao Bureau of Commerce, Mr Ma Weigang, presented the situation of the economic and commercial exchanges between Qingdao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, as well as their plans to promote further the cooperation on production capacity.

The representatives of the attending enterprises presented in detail their respective businesses and investment projects. The representatives of Portuguese-speaking Countries also introduced investment opportunities in their respective countries, and the relevant conditions for production capacity cooperation projects. They answered the questions raised by the representatives of the enterprises.

The delegation also visited several institutions, including: Haier Overseas Electric Appliances Corp. Ltd; the Eurasian Economic and Trade Industrial Park; and the Shangdong Jinan Railway Jiaozhou Logistics Park Co., Ltd.

The visit to Qingdao allowed strengthening exchanges between representatives of Portuguese-speaking Countries and those of Mainland Chinese enterprises, and allowed representatives of Portuguese-speaking Countries to better understand the development advantages of Qingdao. Via direct interaction with enterprises, the investment and business environment of Portuguese-speaking Countries were better promoted to Mainland Chinese companies.

Via Macao’s role as a platform, and the multilateral cooperation mechanism of Forum Macao, a bridge was built between Mainland Chinese enterprises and Portuguese-speaking Countries, which fostered the pragmatic cooperation between Mainland China – in particular Qingdao City – and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

At the same time, 30 participants in the “Workshop on Commercial Law for Portuguese-speaking Countries” travelled to Qingdao and carried out a series of visits with the aim of promoting further economic and trade exchanges, as well as cooperation on production capacity cooperation.

This was the second time in 2017 that the Permanent Secretariat organised a large delegation to visit Mainland Chinese provinces and municipalities. Such visits further demonstrate Forum Macao’s role as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries in economic and trade matters, as well as in the fields of education and human resources.