A delegation of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao – led by Deputy Secretary-General Mr Ding Tian – visited the Lianyungang municipality in Jiangsu Province in Mainland China, from September 19 to 21. Lianyungang is a popular tourism destination on the East China Sea coast.

The visit was immediately after the delegation’s visit to Huai’an, also in Jiangsu Province.

The visit to Lianyungang aimed to further the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation approved during the 5th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao. Other objectives of the Lianyungang visit included seizing opportunities created by the “Belt and Road” initiative; and fostering economic and trade cooperation between provinces and municipalities from Mainland China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries.

The Forum Macao delegation attended while in Lianyungang the opening ceremony for the 21st Jiangsu Province International Agriculture Cooperation Meeting, and the International Agriculture Cooperation Promotion Meeting. The latter event was themed “Taking advantage of the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative Opportunities”. In addition, the Forum Macao party attended an investment presentation session on modern agricultural practice in Lianyungang. It also held a promotional event on trade and economic matters, called the “Meeting on Production Capacity Cooperation between Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries”.

The activity programme for the Lianyungang visit included the “Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries Agricultural Cooperation Meeting”, held on September 20. It was hosted by: the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Jiangsu Province; and the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao. More than 150 people attended the event, including: members of the diplomatic corps in China of Portuguese-speaking Countries; representatives of agricultural enterprises from Portuguese-speaking Countries; executives from agricultural trade and investment enterprises in Jiangsu; and representatives from scientific and research institutions.

Officials delivering speeches at the Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries Agricultural Cooperation Meeting included: Deputy Secretary-General of the Jiangsu Provincial Government, Mr Zhu Jilu; Mr Malam Sambú, on behalf of the diplomatic corps in China of Portuguese-speaking Countries; and Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Mr Ding Tian.

Mr Ding noted in his speech that, following a 2011 summit on trade and industrial development between Jiangsu Province, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, agriculture had become a key sector for cooperation promotion within the framework of the Council of the Summit for Commercial and Industrial Development of Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries. Working groups were set up within the Council further to promote collaboration in a number of fields, including in agriculture and fisheries. That had led to the gradual establishment of a system to boost cooperation in agriculture between Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries, and that system had already achieved positive results.

During the Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries Agricultural Cooperation Meeting, Representatives from the Portuguese-speaking Countries in Forum Macao respectively made presentations on the background, the investment environment and the preferential policies regarding agriculture in their own nation. Jiangsu business representatives attending the Meeting also provided to fellow attendees details of their activities and cooperation conducted with counterparts from Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Participants in the event exchanged views on how to make use of Forum Macao’s role as a multilateral cooperation mechanism and get the most out of Macao’s role as a cooperation platform. That was not only in order to support companies seeking to invest abroad but also to attract additional inward investment, and to promote agricultural cooperation between Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries. Participants in the Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries Agricultural Cooperation Meeting also carried out exchanges on: trade in agricultural products; agricultural technology innovation; and professional training in the field of agriculture.