In the late afternoon of June 30, the Opening Ceremony and the Music and Dance Performance of the 18th Cultural Week of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries were held at Senado Square in Macao. Organised by the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao under the theme "Sino-Lusophone Cultural Encounters, Friendship without Borders", the event was attended by guests from various sectors.

Present at the Opening Ceremony were Dr Ng Wai Han, Secretary for Economy and Finance of the MSAR Government; Dr Yang Weiqun, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the MSAR; Dr Ji Xianzheng, Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao; Dr Ma Naifang, Director of the Policy Research Department and Spokesperson of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the MSAR; Dr Eduardo Velasco Galiano, Consul-General of the Republic of Angola in Macao; Dr Rodrigues Victorino Muebe, Consul-General of the Republic of Mozambique in Macao; Dr Lo Song Man, Chairperson of the Executive Committee of Teledifusão de Macau, S.A.; Dr Hervelter de Mattos, Deputy Consul-General of the Consulate of Brazil in Hong Kong and Representative of Brazil to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao; Dr Xiang Xin, Advisor to the Office of the Chief Executive; Mr Chui Sai Cheong, member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of the Macao Chamber of Commerce; and Mr Zhang Guoxin, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Vice-President of The Association of Chinese Enterprises in Macao, who jointly officiated at the Opening Ceremony.

In his speech, Secretary-General Ji Xianzheng stated that the Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Cooperation, approved during the 6th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao, highlighted the importance of holding the Cultural Week in Macao, with the participating countries unanimously agreeing to organise cultural exchange activities between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries in Mainland China. He emphasised that this edition of the Cultural Week, held under the theme "Sino-Lusophone Cultural Encounters, Friendship without Borders", builds upon this important consensus, fully leveraging Macao's unique advantage as a "platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries" and creating even more favourable conditions for comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries. He also expressed the expectation that the Portuguese-speaking Countries would showcase their cultural characteristics in a wide variety of ways, jointly building a landmark brand for Sino-Lusophone cultural exchange.

After the ceremony, the artistic groups from Macao and the Portuguese-speaking Countries, namely Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste, took to the stage one after another, offering the audience an audiovisual performance spanning four continents. The singers from Macao were the first to warm up the audience with popular music. The Brazilian artist brought infectious samba and traditional music to the stage. The Cabo Verdean singer performed light and vibrant island rhythms. The artists from Guinea-Bissau presented traditional songs. The singer from Equatorial Guinea combined, in an innovative way, African rhythms, hip-hop and traditional instruments. The Mozambican musician performed Kizomba melodies, highly popular across the Lusophone world, in a style where engaging rhythms blended with romantic melodies. The Portuguese fado singer presented a renewed style, combining fado with contemporary rhythms. The band from São Tomé and Príncipe merged traditional African percussion with modern electric guitar, delivering a high-impact sonic performance. The group from Timor-Leste, in turn, intertwined the rhythms of the traditional Tebe dance with modern music. The performances highlighted the cultural diversity of the Sino-Lusophone world and vividly conveyed the theme "Sino-Lusophone Cultural Encounters, Friendship without Borders".

The activities of this edition of the Cultural Week in Macao run from 27 June to 10 July, presenting the cultural characteristics of China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries from multiple perspectives. The Handicraft Exhibition of Portuguese-speaking Countries opened on 29 June at the IAM Gallery and will remain open to the public until 5 July. On the evening of 1 July, the second music and dance performance will take place at Senado Square. Residents and tourists are warmly invited to attend, thereby sustaining the enthusiasm and vitality of Sino-Lusophone arts and cultures.

The Cultural Week will subsequently continue in Qinghai and Beijing, with a series of activities to be held in Qinghai from 4 to 5 July, and in Beijing from 9 to 10 July, thereby broadening the visibility of the Cultural Week and deepening people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries.

For further information, the dedicated website for the Cultural Week remains accessible at: https://semanacultural.forumchinaplp.org.mo.