The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, today said the Government will more actively engage in and more intensively promote Pan Pearl River Delta ("PPRD") co-operation, and look forward to more extensive co-operation with all PPRD provinces and regions. Mr Chui told the press after attending the Joint Conference of Chief Executives in Guangzhou that Macao is glad to share a common vision with all PPRD provinces and regions, to raise PPRD co-operation to the level of China's 13th Five-year Plan in future. It is hoped that such strategic regional development planning at national level could be beneficial to the promotion of the PPRD's development as a whole. The joint conference also fully considered how to enable Macao to fully leverage its functions as a business and trade services platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. He pointed out that Macao was more than happy to play the role of a bridge to facilitate co-operation between PPRD provinces and regions and Portuguese-speaking countries in the commerce and trade, tourism and culture areas. From now on, the Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Co-operation and Development Forum and Trade Fair ("PPRD Forum") will become a biennial event. The leaders from all PPRD provinces and regions agreed this morning that they should continue to enhance communication and co-operation with each other. Therefore, it was decided that the Joint Conference of Chief Executives will still be organised in 2015, although the next PPRD Forum is scheduled for 2016. It was agreed that the joint conference next year will be hosted by one of this year's PPRD Forum organisers, that is either Guangdong, Hong Kong or Macao. Asked if Macao would compete for the organizer role for next year's joint conference, Mr Chui said the Government welcomes the event being held anywhere as arranged by the PPRD Secretariat.
