“Entrepreneurs Meeting for Commercial and Economic Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries – São Tomé -2019”

Opening ceremony of the “Entrepreneurs Meeting for Commercial and Economic Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries –São Tomé -2019”

The “Entrepreneurs Meeting for Commercial and Economic Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries – São Tomé -2019” was successfully held from 8 to 9 July in São Tomé and Príncipe.

The event was organised by São Tomé and Príncipe’s Commerce and Investment Promotion Agency (APCI), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and IPIM. Nearly 400 people attended the event. A total of six agreements and memorandums were signed during the meeting, with more than 80 business-matching sessions conducted during the event. The next year’s Entrepreneurs Meeting will be held in Guinea-Bissau.

This year’s meeting was held under the theme “Promoting Economic Growth and Shared Prosperity”. Officials giving speeches during the event’s opening ceremony included: the Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe Jorge Bom Jesus; IPIM’s President Irene Va Kuan Lau; the Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Chamber of International Commerce Xu Yanbo; Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Ding Tian; and APCI’s Director Joaquim Rafael Branco.

The six agreements and memorandums signed during the meeting covered co-operation between governments; economic and legal co-operation matters between chambers of commerce; corporate donations; and co-operation in financial services between enterprises. More than 80 business-matching sessions were also arranged covering a number of business fields, including tourism; service; infrastructure; trade; food and product processing; and agriculture and livestock husbandry.

Other activities organised during the Entrepreneurs Meeting included: an “Exhibition of Local Products”; a “Round-table Conference – Investment in Participating Countries”; a “Presentation Session – São Tomé and Príncipe, a Door to Africa and for Global Investment”; a series of business presentations; and a closing ceremony. Participants in the event also had the opportunity to visit local palm oil plantations and hotel projects in the southern part of São Tomé.

In addition, a delegation of more than 30 Macao entrepreneurs, led by the IPIM’s President Irene Va Kuan Lau, visited the Chinese Embassy in São Tomé and Príncipe on 11 July. The delegation was welcomed by the Chinese Ambassador to São Tomé and Príncipe Wang Wei, and the Economic and Trade Counsellor to the Chinese Embassy in São Tomé and Príncipe, Gao Jinbao.