Macao Secretary for the Economy and Finance Lionel Leong has said he will visit Portugal in June to look for partners for the city in its endeavour to become a finance centre for trade and investment between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Mr Leong said in an interview broadcast by Macao television station TDM that among the party accompanying him to Lisbon would be representatives of the finance industries in Macao and Mainland China.

He said Macao wished to develop insurance and financial leasing industries to help supply Mainland Chinese machinery for infrastructure projects in the Portuguese-speaking Countries.

The British withdrawal from the European Union could be an opportunity for Macao and Portugal to form a bridge linking businesses in Mainland China and the European Union, Mr Leong told TDM.