The opening ceremony of the 1st China-Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) International Fair for Trade in Services was held on September 3, at 8am (Beijing time). Among the participants in the online event were: the Chinese Ambassador to Brazil, Mr Yang Wanming; the Chinese Consul-General in Rio de Janeiro, Mr Li Yang; the Director of Beijing Municipal Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mr Tu Zhitao; the Deputy Governor of the State of Bahia, Brazil, Mr João Felipe de Souza Leão; the Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ms Xu Yingzhen; the President of the China-Brazil Business Council, Ambassador Luiz Augusto de Castro Neves; Executive Vice-President of the China Council For International Investment Promotion Mr Liu Zuozhang; the President of the Brazilian Association of Chinese Enterprises, Mr Wang Yansong; and Deputy Director and Secretary General of the Union of Beijing Business Services, Ms Cao Lei; as well as representatives respectively of the Governments of China and of Brazil.

Forum Macao’s Secretary-General Ms Xu mentioned in her speech that the China-Brazil Fair for Trade in Services focused on emerging sectors within trade in services. It included a virtual-reality showcase for exhibiting companies. This creative approach to promoting economic and trade exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries during the pandemic was proof of China and Brazil’s strong commitment and fierce determination to advance pragmatic, in-depth cooperation, she said. Ms Xu added the Fair would establish a public platform for international trade in services, raising the level of multilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The Secretary-General said that Macao – as a Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese speaking Countries – would continue to promote cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries in this field. This included supporting the participation of Portuguese-speaking Countries, including Brazil, in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and in Mainland China’s economic development. Forum Macao would constantly strive to explore new areas and new models for cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, fulfilling its role as a multilateral economic and trade cooperation mechanism aimed at boosting the shared development of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, she said.

Five webinars – respectively on smart healthcare; the smart city; cultural trade; technical services; and e-commerce – will be held between September 4 and 11 as part of the Fair. Each seminar will feature governmental representatives, and experts, who will exchange insights and take part in question-and-answer sessions. The seminars will take place via videoconference, broadcast live worldwide through several major platforms (Kuaishou, YouTube, and Weibo).