A seminar on food-safety inspections in China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, jointly organised by the Food Security and Economic Activities Inspection Forum of CPLP (FISAAE-CPLP) and the Permanent Secretariat of Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), took place on July 1 in the Lotus Room of the World Trade Center Macau.

The event aimed at increasing economic cooperation between the two sides, including in the fields of food safety and consumer rights. The activity was carried out under the “Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation” signed during the 5th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao.

Participants in the seminar included representatives from: the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao; the General Administration of Customs of China; Macao’s Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM); Macao’s Consumer Council; the Macao Customs Service; the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM); and relevant authorities from member countries of FISAAE. The Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Xu Yingzhen, and the President of FISAAE, Mr Abílio Sereno, gave speeches respectively at the seminar.

During her speech, Forum Macao’s Ms Xu said that China and Portuguese-speaking Countries paid great attention to food safety, and mentioned that the inspection and quarantine mechanisms for foodstuffs had played an important role in deepening cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Macao had given great weight to the issue of food safety when it chose to  set up the “Portuguese-speaking Countries Food Product Exhibition Centre”. As inspection and quarantine services – including procedures and standards – differed between countries, it was crucial to strengthen communication between the competent authorities, said Ms Xu. She stated she hoped to deepen understanding between both sides via increasing the number of exchanges – including exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries in the area of food safety – and to raise such cooperation to a new level.

The President of FISAAE, Mr Sereno, said it was intended that the seminar would promote exchanges between the two sides, and allow them to share experiences. He also emphasised that Macao not only shared a common language and culture with the eight Portuguese-speaking Countries that collectively represented people across four continents, but could also act as a bridge between those places. Via its platform role, Macao was able to link consumers and enterprises and help implement an environment of cooperation.

Macao had experience in food safety matters; with the “Portuguese-speaking Countries Food Product Exhibition Centre” being a valuable initiative to boost cooperation.

The seminar focused on discussing such cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries as part of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. Via keynote speeches and discussion panels, participants shared the experiences of their respective jurisdictions regarding food safety, exploring potential areas of cooperation. Some of the topics discussed included: food import control measures in Mainland China; the transformation of Macao into a “Portuguese-speaking Countries Food Product Exhibition Centre”; Macao’s food-inspection system; and food-safety management in Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Participants also debated other related topics, expressing the wish to take full advantage of Macao’s role as a platform, in order to explore the markets of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, in order to promote mutual benefits.