The Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the Yangzhou Municipal People’s Government jointly organised on May 10 the “Meeting on Cooperation on Production Capacity between Yangzhou, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries”. The visit was part of the effort to boost cooperation between provinces and municipalities in Portuguese-speaking Countries and those in Mainland China, as well as better to develop Macao’s role as a point of connection between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Several officials attended the meeting, including representatives from respectively: the Yangzhou Municipal Development and Reform Commission; Yangzhou Tourism Administration; Yangzhou Economy and Information Technology Commission; Yangzhou Agricultural Commission; and Yangzhou Public Diplomacy Association. A number of entrepreneurs also attended the meeting representing different sectors of the local economy, namely: machinery, agriculture, renewable energies, food processing, tourism, cultural and creative industries, and logistics.

The Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Xu Yingzhen, said this year marked 15 years since Forum Macao’s establishment. At the 5th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao, the Participating Countries had signed the Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation and the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Co-operation in Production Capacity, she noted. Under the terms of these two instruments, there is an aim to boost cooperation between provinces and municipalities from the Participating Countries of Forum Macao; and to promote and support trade and investment cooperation between companies, based on mutually beneficial production capacity, and on the development needs of each Participating Country of Forum Macao.

The Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao had always worked to strengthen communication and exchanges between companies from Yangzhou and from the Portuguese-speaking Countries, in the hope that all parties involved could enhance their use of the multilateral mechanism offered by Forum Macao, as well as Macao’s role as a platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries.

During exchange sessions, the Representatives from Portuguese-speaking Countries explained their respective countries’ investment and cooperation projects in relation to production capacity, while exchanging views with the business people. Representatives of several companies gave detailed presentations of their enterprises and their business interests.

Additionally, during the trip to Yangzhou, the Permanent Secretariat Delegation visited: Jiangsu Famsun Group Co. Ltd.; the Modern Agricultural Exhibition Area of Shatou; the Yangzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Pavilion; the Dongguan History Culture Tourist Area; and the World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (WCCO), as part of the Secretariat’s effort on exchanges.

The activities strengthened exchange and cooperation between companies from Portuguese-speaking Countries and from Mainland China, and forged closer working ties with Forum Macao’s counterpart service providers in Yangzhou, while allowing the Representatives from Portuguese-speaking Countries to have more in-depth knowledge of the advantages of development pursued in partnership with Mainland China.

Through exchanges between companies, the investment and business environment of Portuguese-speaking Countries was showcased; cooperation on production capacity was promoted; and companies were encouraged to make better use of Macao’s good business environment and advantages of geography and connection, especially its close relationship with Portuguese-speaking Countries when it comes to language and culture. These factors help Macao play a role as a bridge for economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, and actively to drive cooperation between companies from provinces and municipalities from Mainland China and from Portuguese-speaking Countries.