As part of the 10th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao held on October 12 a launch ceremony for a special issue of stamps to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of Forum Macao. The event included a media luncheon.

The Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms. Xu Yingzhen, and the Director of the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau, Ms. Lau Wai Meng, presided over the ceremony, attended by representatives from the media sector.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), a landmark date to which the Participating Countries in Forum Macao are paying close attention. The launch of a special issue of stamps is part of a series of activities to celebrate the anniversary, aiming to strengthen promotion of Forum Macao’s work, enhancing Macao’s role as a Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, and boosting common development in various areas, including economy, trade and culture.

Stamps often work as an introductory card for a country, promoting its culture to the world. Participating Countries in Forum Macao include China and the eight Portuguese-speaking Countries, each with its own features. Macao, as the host city of Forum Macao, plays the role of hub between Eastern and Western cultures.

The stamp issue – by the Macao SAR Government – is a key part of this year’s Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. It includes: a set of two postage stamps; a souvenir sheet; a first-day cover with postage stamps; a first-day cover with souvenir sheet; an information brochure with postage stamps; and an information brochure with souvenir sheet. Its design is based on landscapes from the Participating Members in Forum Macao.

The stamp issue aims to promote Forum Macao as well as Macao’s role as a cooperation platform. It also helps to highlight the results achieved by Forum Macao over the past 15 years in promoting exchanges and mutual cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

In a speech during the stamp issue launch ceremony, Secretary-General Ms. Xu said that, since its establishment, Forum Macao – through the joint effort of the Participating Countries and with great support from the Macao SAR Government – had been able to consolidate and intensify cooperation between all parties, with fruitful results in a number of areas, including: trade and investment promotion; production capacity cooperation; human resource training; cultural exchanges; and cooperation between provinces and municipalities. She added that Forum Macao constantly encouraged exchanges and cooperation between Mainland China, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, promoting mutual understanding between people, while contributing to the positioning of Macao as a service platform.

The Permanent Secretariat would continue to focus on Forum Macao’s stated goals of promoting cooperation, consolidating its achievements and seeking new areas of cooperation. This was in order better to serve the sustainable development of economic and trade ties between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, as part of Macao’s socio-economic development and to support the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.

Ms Xu added she hoped media organisations would continue to provide coverage of Forum Macao’s work.