A law firm in Macao – Rato, Ling, Lei & Cortés, known as Lektou – has opened an office in the nearby mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen, the Macau News Agency (MNA) says, citing the firm.

The authorities in the mainland Chinese province of Guangdong gave Lektou permission for the Shenzhen office last month, according to a report carried by the news agency last week.

The office will focus on the legal aspects of real estate, finance and foreign investment, the report says.

It says the firm means to become more conspicuous in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area and so help Macao serve as a place where China and the Portuguese-speaking world can do business.

Two Lektou lawyers have permission to work in Shenzhen, including Portuguese-born Pedro Cortés, the report says.

The firm also has offices on Hengqin Island, which abuts Macao, and in Lisbon, MNA says.