The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, cordially shakes hands with the Portuguese Minister of Justice, Ms Rita Alarcão Júdice, during a meeting held in Lisbon, Portugal.
The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, met with Portugal’s Minister of Justice, Ms Rita Alarcão Júdice, in Lisbon, Portugal. The two officials exchanged views on enhancing bilateral ties and deepening judicial cooperation between Macao and Portugal.
The meeting was held in the morning local time on Monday (20 April). The Chief Executive arrived on Saturday (18 April) in Lisbon for the first stop of a four-nation European tour.
During the meeting, Mr Sam shared an update with the Minister on the current status of legal system development and legal-talent training in the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR). Since its return to the motherland, Macao has maintained its pre-existing legal system while systematically reviewing and updating major legal codes to meet evolving social and economic needs, he noted.
Building on the solid foundation of existing cooperation, Mr Sam expressed hope for stronger collaboration with Portugal’s Ministry of Justice, particularly in further implementing comprehensive judicial assistance arrangements between Macao and Portugal, thereby providing robust legal safeguards for bilateral economic, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.
Mr Sam also highlighted the continuous achievements in Macao’s successful implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle. With the strong support and guidance of the leaderships in China and Portugal, exchanges and cooperation between Macao and Portugal across multiple fields will be further strengthened.
Macao’s unique advantages and bridging role in fostering China-Portugal relations will become increasingly prominent, enabling it to make even greater contributions. Mr Sam extended a warm invitation to Minister Júdice to visit Macao again in the future, to strengthen further close communication with the MSAR Government, particularly with the Secretary for Administration and Justice.
Minister Júdice highly commended the successful practising of the “One country, two systems” principle in Macao, and the significant achievements made in Macao since the establishment of the MSAR. She noted that Portugal’s Ministry of Justice has long been committed to promoting judicial cooperation between Portugal and Macao, and will continue to advance and deepen the bilateral partnership.
She expressed confidence that the Chief Executive’s visit will further strengthen Macao-Portugal exchanges in various fields, including judicial affairs, and that mutual trust and collaboration will steadily reach new heights.
Minister Júdice also praised the MSAR Government’s efforts in preserving cultural diversity, noting that the Portuguese language and Portuguese culture are well maintained and promoted in Macao. She expressed the hope that cooperation between Portugal and Macao will continue to deepen across all sectors, and that Portugal will actively support Macao in further enhancing its role as a platform and vital bridge for China-Portugal cooperation.
Also present at the meeting were: the Ambassador of China to Portugal, Mr Yang Yirui; the MSAR’s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ms O Lam; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Chan Kak; and the Director of the Macao Economic and Trade Office in Lisbon, Ms Lúcia Abrantes dos Santos.
Representing the Portuguese side were: the Consul-General of Portugal in Macao, Mr Alexandre Leitão; the Director of the Office of the Minister of Justice of Portugal, Ms Elsa Martins; and Deputy Director of the Directorate-General for Justice Policy of the Ministry of Justice, Mr João Arsenio de Oliveira.
