The opening ceremony of the “Training Center of Forum Macao – Online Colloquium on Digital Economy for Portuguese-speaking Countries”, organized by the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao and co-organized by the City University of Macau, took place online on October 28, 2022, at 7 p.m. (Beijing time). Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Ji Xianzheng, and Dean of the Faculty of Business, City University of Macau, Prof. José Alves, delivered their speeches.

Secretary-General Ji Xianzheng remarked that since the outbreak of COVID-19, the digital economy has been playing a vital role in responding to the pandemic unprecedented in a century, promoting the recovery of various economic sectors, and protecting people’s livelihoods, becoming a new driving force for high-quality economic development. In recent years, China and several other countries have jointly launched “The Belt and Road” Digital Economy International Cooperation Initiative, and there is global consensus on the need to develop the digital economy. With the continuous enhancement of economic and trade exchanges and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, the digital economy will surely become a new highlight in this process in the post-pandemic era. The Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao hopes that all parties can take advantage of Macao and the platform of Forum Macao to actively facilitate in-depth cooperation in the digital economy, providing new opportunities for the economic recovery and socio-economic development of their respective countries.

Dean José Alves pointed out that the Colloquium aims to deepen the understanding of the concept and development of China’s digital economy among enterprises from Portuguese-speaking countries interested in trading with China. It focuses on topics such as consumer trends, consumer characteristics, e-commerce marketing strategies and technologies in the post-pandemic era. Furthermore, through the sharing of experience by relevant experts, the participants will gain a better understanding of e-commerce technologies and platforms, the rules of digital commerce, and the significance of livestreaming e-commerce in attracting customers and building brands.

The Colloquium is the third colloquium offered by the Training Center of Forum Macao this year, and the first colloquium on the digital economy hosted by the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao. A total of eight online sessions, including seminars and themed lectures, are available from October 28 to November 8. About 700 bureau-level officials from the nine Portuguese-speaking countries of Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste will attend the sessions online. Experts will be invited to deliver lectures on the digital economy and Internet business, digital consumer trends in the post-pandemic era, livestreaming e-commerce, and social media marketing. Meanwhile, representatives of Alibaba Cloud (Macau) Limited and Fliggy, an online travel agency, will be invited to attend the roundtable meeting on the digital economy and e-commerce to share their experience with representatives of Portuguese-speaking countries.