The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, delivers a speech at a reception in celebration of the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities.
The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, stated that the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government is committed to leveraging Macao’s unique strengths and expanding its role as a platform serving China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.
Efforts include providing higher-level support for China and Portuguese-speaking countries in relation to trade and investment, tourism and financial cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and talent development, thereby enhancing the practical outcomes of cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Mr Sam made the remarks at a reception marking Portugal Day, Camões Day, and the Day of the Portuguese Communities. The reception held in the evening at the Macau Portuguese School, was also attended by Portugal’s Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Mr Fernando Alexandre, and the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the MSAR, Ms Bian Lixin.
At the reception, the Chief Executive extended sincere greetings and best wishes on behalf of the MSAR Government to the people of Portugal, Portuguese residing in Macao, and the Macanese community.
The Portuguese and Macanese communities, as important components of Macao’s multicultural society, have played a significant and positive role in the city’s harmony, stability, and prosperous development, said Mr Sam.
With strong support from the Central Government, the MSAR Government will continue fully, accurately, and resolutely, to implement the “One country, two systems” principle. At the same time, the MSAR will continue to protect the Portuguese language and Macanese culture, preserving Macao’s rich multicultural identity.
Mr Sam said he hoped that Portuguese residing in Macao and the local Macanese community would continue to participate actively in the city’s affairs and promote China-Portugal ties, while making further contributions to Macao’s development and to exchanges between China and Portugal across various fields.
In his address, Mr Sam mentioned that his recent official visit to Portugal – his first overseas destination as Chief Executive – was intended to strengthen the longstanding friendship between the two sides and comprehensively deepen cooperation across a range of sectors. During the visit, Portuguese leaders highly praised Macao’s achievements since its return to the motherland, and expressed their willingness to deepen cooperation with Macao in trade, tourism, education, judicial affairs, and other areas, jointly elevating Macao-Portugal relations to a new level. Mr Sam noted the MSAR Government would follow up on the matters arising from the visit and expressed hope that both sides would continue working closely together to deliver tangible benefits to their peoples and further advance friendly China-Portugal relations.
Macao and Portugal should fully leverage their roles as two-way platforms: Macao and Hengqin can serve as gateways for Portuguese enterprises and those from other Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as European enterprises, to enter the Chinese mainland and the broader Asian market. Portugal, for its part, can act as a gateway for Chinese enterprises to access other Portuguese-speaking countries and the rest of the European Union market. Through this mutually-reinforcing approach, Macao and Portugal could drive their own development and further strengthen their strategic roles in China-Portugal cooperation, Mr Sam said.
The Chief Executive said that earlier in the afternoon, he and Minister Alexandre jointly witnessed the signing of the “Cooperation Agreement between Macao Polytechnic University and the University of Coimbra on the Development of Joint Global Campus in Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin”. The agreement was of great importance in Macao-Portugal educational collaboration, with significant implications for enhancing the internationalisation of Macao Polytechnic University and advancing the development of the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town.
In addition, Mr Sam expressed hope that the seventh meeting of the Macao-Portugal Joint Committee would be held in Macao this year, allowing both sides to engage in friendly exchanges on issues of mutual interest. The MSAR Government would make active preparations for the meeting, he said.
Additionally, the seventh Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) will be held in Macao next year. As Portugal has long supported Macao’s role as a “precise connector” between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, Mr Sam said he hoped Portugal would continue to provide strong support and contribute to the success of the upcoming ministerial conference.
