Macao Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng is keen to help mainland Chinese banks and insurance companies to open branches in Macao with a view to their entering Portuguese-speaking markets, his government says.

The government issued a written statement quoting Mr Ho as telling the Macao Legislative Assembly in the Policy Address for 2021 on Monday that Macao will seek to make tax treaties with lusophone countries.

Mr Ho promised to increase the number of people bilingual in Portuguese and Chinese that Macao turns out, so the city can better perform its function as place where China and the Portuguese-speaking world engage with each other economically and culturally.

Macao will help other parts of the Pan-Pearl River Delta region trade with lusophone countries, exchange tourists with them, sell them Chinese traditional medicine, and arrange events with them, the Macao government statement quotes Mr Ho as saying.