Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao Mr Paulo Jorge do Espírito Santo welcomed to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao a delegation from the Jilin Provincial Committee of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, led by its President, Mr Feng Qingzhong. The visit took place on May 13.

Both parties exchanged views on how Macao can fulfil its platform role and on how to boost ties between Jilin Province and Portuguese-speaking Countries. Other topics discussed during the meeting included how best to promote economic and trade cooperation between Jilin and Macao, as well as between Jilin and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Deputy Secretary-General Mr Paulo Jorge do Espírito Santo warmly welcomed the visiting delegation, introducing to them the work of Forum Macao, the organisation’s structure, and its mission.

He said that in 2020 Forum Macao had focused on cooperation in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, by promoting exchanges on pandemic prevention and pushing forward economic recovery and encouraging trade and investment. Such work relied on the support of the Central Government and the backing of the Macao SAR Government, while making the most of Macao’s role as a cooperation platform. Mr Espírito Santo added that Forum Macao had actively sought to overcome the negative impact of COVID-19 on its activities, namely by exploring a new model for cooperation using online and offline channels, in order to achieve the desired outcomes.

President Mr Feng Qingzhong recalled how Jilin Province is in the geographic centre of Northeast Asia, enabling it to cast itself as part of a major channel and corridor of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative; thus opening a window into northern China and working towards cooperation between Northeast Asian regions.

He also mentioned Jilin’s advantages in promoting development in a range of areas, including agriculture, industry, new energy sources, biomedicine, and ecotourism, as well as pushing advancement in education and scientific research.

Mr Feng said he would like his side to remain in close contact with the Permanent Secretariat in order to boost cooperation and exchanges between Jilin, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries in a number of fields, including the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the fields of investment, trade, science, education, culture, infrastructure, and modern agricultural development.