On March 28 the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) held its 18th Ordinary Meeting in Macao. The meeting was hosted by Secretary-General Ji Xianzheng and attended by representatives from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, and the Macao SAR Government. Also present at the meeting were ambassadors of Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs) to China, liaison officers of PSCs, and members of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao. During the meeting, a review of the work carried out by Forum Macao in 2022 was presented, the work plan for 2023 was approved, and other tasks of the Permanent Secretariat were brought up for discussion.

In 2022, with the strong support of the participating countries of Forum Macao and the Macao SAR Government, the Permanent Secretariat actively promoted the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Cooperation signed at the 5th Ministerial Conference and the 18 new measures rolled out by the Central Government. Against the backdrop of COVID-19, the Permanent Secretariat successfully convened an Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of Forum Macao online and offline, during which a Joint Declaration was signed. The Permanent Secretariat actively carried out work in the fields of cooperation on production capacity and human resources, trade and investment promotion, cultural exchanges, and Macao’s role as a Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform, fully achieving the objectives set out in the work plan for 2022. The economic and trade cooperation between China and PSCs has thus been further enhanced, and the role of Macao as a platform between China and PSCs reinforced.

In 2023, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Forum Macao, the Permanent Secretariat will focus on implementing the results of the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting, preparing for the 6th Ministerial Conference, commemorating the 20th anniversary of Forum Macao, and building Macao into a platform between China and PSCs. Through conferences, exhibitions, visits, colloquia, publicity, and cooperation with multilateral organizations in its future work, the Permanent Secretariat will improve the investment and trade cooperation between China and PSCs and promote mutual understanding and affection between the two peoples. The Permanent Secretariat will also continuously assist the Macao SAR Government in building Macao into a platform between China and PSCs.

During the meeting, the head of the Chinese delegation and representatives of PSCs outlined their implementation of the results of the 5th Ministerial Conference and the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of Forum Macao, respectively, and the representative of the Macao SAR Government discussed the progress made in the construction of the Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform. In addition to the revisions of the Statute of the Permanent Secretariat, new members of the Permanent Secretariat, including the first delegate of Equatorial Guinea Ms. Cristina Mangue Abeso and the new delegate of Portugal Ms. Márcia Cordeiro Guerreiro, were also presented at the meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, the minutes were approved.

The following representatives spoke at the meeting: Mr. João Salvador dos Santos Neto, Angola’s Ambassador to China; Mr. Ivan Carlo Padre Seixas Pereira, Deputy Consul of Brazil in Macao and Hong Kong; Mr. Arlindo Nascimento do Rosário, Cape Verde’s Ambassador to China; Mr. Li Xiaohui, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China; Mr. Hussein Bruno Jamil Jauad, Liaison Officer of Guinea-Bissau; Mr. German Ekua Sima Abaga, Equatorial Guinea’s Ambassador to China; Ms. Maria Gustava, Mozambique’s Ambassador to China; Mr. Paulo Jorge Nascimento, Portugal’s Ambassador to China; Ms. Isabel Mayza Jesus da Graça Domingos, Sao Tome and Principe’s Ambassador to China; and Mr. Abrão dos Santos, Timor-Leste’s Ambassador to China.