[2019/10/17] The 9th Industrial and Commercial Summit between Jiangsu-Macao‧Portuguese Speaking Countries, Jiangsu-Macao-Cabo Verde Co-operation Forum Held with Success

The 9^th Industrial and Commercial Summit between Jiangsu-Macao‧Portuguese Speaking Countries, Jiangsu-Macao-Cabo Verde Co-operation Forum, organised by Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, with the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and Cabo Verde TradeInvest as co-operative organisations, was held today (17 October). Nearly 400 government officials and representatives of enterprises and business associations attended the forum.

Mr Guo Yuanqiang, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province, remarked in his speech that the exchanges and co-operation between Jiangsu and Cabo Verde in various fields have become increasingly frequent in recent years with the help of the industrial and commercial summit platform. He believed that with the successful convening of this forum, fresh impetus would be injected into the deepened co-operation between Jiangsu and Cabo Verde. For the exchanges and co-operation among Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries in the future, he proposed three initiatives. First, promote the joint construction of the Belt and Road. We should take Macao as a gateway and bridge, to strengthen the industrial alignment and capacity co-operation with Portuguese-speaking countries, share experience and advantages of Jiangsu’s manufacturing industry development, industrial park development, infrastructure construction and so on, and promote various forms of third-party market co-operation. Second, propel the common development of investment and trade. We need to encourage more competitive businesses from Jiangsu to invest in Portuguese-speaking countries, while also welcoming those from Portuguese-speaking countries to Jiangsu. Third, deepen people-to-people bond and cultural exchanges. We will remain committed to organising Jiangsu characteristic cultural and art exchange events with and enhancing mutual understanding and mutual trust between the peoples of Jiangsu and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Ms Irene Va Kuan Lau, President of the IPIM, said that “The 9^th Industrial and Commercial Summit between Jiangsu-Macao‧Portuguese Speaking Countries” had been held in Macao for nine consecutive years since 2011, adding that the event becomes so influential that it has evolved into a pivotal bridge and bond between Jiangsu and Macao in their precise liaison with Portuguese-speaking countries. Under the co-operation mechanism of the summit, practical collaborations are being carried out in an orderly manner by different industrial co-operating promotional groups, in a bid to facilitate multi-lateral economic and trade connections and investment exchanges. It is an honor to have the support of Cabo Verde and Jiangsu as the “partner country” and “partner province” of the 24^th MIF this year. It is believed that this forum will help further strengthen the economic and trade ties among all parties. With the further development of the Belt and Road and the Greater Bay Area, new dynamics will be directed to the development of Macao’s Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, which will support China’s high-quality opening-up to the outside world and multi-lateral trade and co-operation. On one hand, it will help Jiangsu and other Mainland provinces and cities to tap the markets in Cabo Verde and other Portuguese-speaking countries. On the other hand, it will help businesses from Portuguese-speaking countries such as Cabo Verde to conduct more co-operation with their counterparts from such Mainland provinces cities as Jiangsu, give full play to the precise liaison function of Macao as a platform, and effectively achieve mutual benefit, win-win results, complementary advantages and common development.

Mr Alexandre Monteiro, Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy of Cabo Verde, believed that the summit will promote more in-depth exchanges and negotiations among the three parties so that they could create more opportunities for co-operation, and China and Portuguese- speaking countries could expect a win-win outcome and a community of shared destiny. Thanks to the fairs, Macao, Jiangsu and Portuguese-speaking countries have built bridges and maintained close ties. In the future, Cabo Verde hopes to explore co-operation in different areas via Jiangsu Province, other provinces and Macao’s platform.

According to Ms Xu Yingzhen, Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Macao), the summit has been held for eight consecutive years, and the Council of the Summit and its six industrial co-operating promotional groups for investment and trade, education, agriculture, tourism, pelagic fishery and infrastructure construction have made tripartite co-operation more pragmatic and efficient, which have achieved remarkable results and generated a positive effect. The summit has become a role model for carrying out economic and trade co-operation between Chinese provinces and Portuguese-speaking countries with the help of Macao’s platform.

The forum invited Mr Ma Minglong, Director General of the Department of Commerce of Jiangsu Province; Mr Vincent U, Executive Director of the IPIM; Ms Ana Barber, President of the Cabo Verde TradeInvest; and Mr José Correia, General Coordinator of the Special Maritime Economy Zone of Cabo Verde, as representatives of the economic and trade departments of the three places to showcase their respective economic and trade climate, investment policies, and primary resources. In addition, representatives of well-known enterprises in Jiangsu were also invited to share their experience in doing business in Portuguese-speaking countries, and discuss how to make use of the platform for China and Portuguese-speaking countries in Macao to strengthen exchanges and explore business opportunities while promoting in-depth co-operation.