The Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) aims to increase the number of students from Portuguese-speaking Countries by 2017, said its President, Lei Heong Iok.

Speaking on Wednesday on the sidelines of a seminar, Mr Lei said MPI currently has about 50 students from Portuguese-speaking Countries. Quoted by local Chinese-language newspaper Macao Daily News, Mr Lei said he hopes that number to increase four-fold to 200 students by 2017, “helping Macao to groom more Portuguese-speaking talents”.

Mr Lei noted that the institute plans to attract more foreign students to Macao, facilitating “the internationalisation of the tertiary education” in the city.

“As Macao hopes to develop into a world tourism and leisure centre and as a service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, cultivating Portuguese-speaking talents is essential,” he added.