Search Issues
Macao makes use of role as platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries to integrate with national development
Throughout its long history, Macao has enjoyed close connections with the Portuguese-speaking Countries, which spans 4 continents and boasts a population of more than 260 million people spread across Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, East Timor, and São Tomé and Príncipe. Macao plays a unique role as a Commercial and Trade
Co-operation Service Platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries.
Since 2003, a total of 5 Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) – the latter a body also known as Forum Macao – have been successfully held in Macao. Each conference included the signing of a Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries, to promote business and trade co-operation.
The Ministerial Conference of the Forum Macao is held every 3 years. The sixth – scheduled for 2020 – is aimed at further boosting the development of economic and trade relations between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries.
Steady development of the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries’ Platform
The 12th and 13th Five-Year Plans of the People’s Republic of China clearly show the country’s support for Macao’s position as a Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. Those plans identify this platform role as an important measure – based on Macao’s own strengths – to support the city’s integration with overall national development, and to promote Macao’s sustainable development and moderate economic diversification.
In February 2016, the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region set up the Committee for Development of the Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, bringing together representatives from a number of Government departments. Macao’s Chief Executive chairs the committee; the Secretary for Economy and Finance is its vice chairperson. The advisory body conducts research related to Macao’s platform role and is tasked with suggesting guidelines on related matters, with the aim of pushing forward the positioning of Macao as a co-operation platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. In addition, the committee is responsible for drafting development blueprints for Macao based on its platform role, in order to advance the implementation of this role in a comprehensive and effective way.
One of the measures included in the process of developing Macao’s platform role is the implementation of the “Three Centres” policy. This policy aims to provide business co-operation support to enterprises and investors either from China or from Portuguese-speaking Countries, using a mixture of “offline” and “online” services. These include the establishment in Macao of : a Commercial and Trade Service Centre for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries; a Food Product Distribution Centre for Portuguese-speaking Countries and a Centre for Conventions and Exhibitions for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.
IPIM assists enterprises from Portuguese-speaking Countries to participate in large-scale trade events in Macao
The Portuguese-speaking Countries Food Products Exhibition Centre, in Tap Seac Square Commercial Centre, showcases food and beverage products from the 8 Portuguese-speaking Countries
In addition, a series of steps have been taken by Macao, to ensure the implementation of the goals approved during the 5th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao, and of the 18 measures announced at that time by the Central Government, in order to boost co-operation with Portuguese-speaking Countries. Such steps included: the official registration in Macao of the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Federation of Entrepreneurs and the commencement of its work; the continuous promotion of Macao as a base for training talented people bilingual in Chinese and Portuguese; and advancing the construction of the first phase of the Complex of Commerce and Trade Co-operation Platform for China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. The latter is scheduled to be completed by year-end. The Complex will serve as a base and information centre for governmental bodies and related organisations involved in co-operation matters between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, providing them with office and meeting spaces.
Macao is constantly adding new features to its role as a Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, making use of the city’s unique strengths. The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) – as the Government body tasked with promoting business and trade co-operation between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries – continues to optimise and improve its relevant services, in a bid to boost co-operation between the two blocs and help all parties to explore business opportunities.
For instance, IPIM provides – via its online-based Economic and Trade Co-operation and Human Resources Portal between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries – information on a range of relevant topics (including trade matters, exhibitions and trade fairs, availability of professionals fluent in Chinese and Portuguese, and food products from Portuguese-speaking Countries to name a few.) in order to offer support to companies interested in exploring business opportunities involving Portuguese-speaking Countries. Another IPIM initiative – the China-PSC Business Compass – aims to help tackle practical problems that might arise at an initial stage regarding co-operation between enterprises from China and from Portuguese-speaking Countries. The Compass initiative provides business advisory, referral and other support services. It also offers assistance so that enterprises from Portuguese-speaking Countries can take part in trade exhibitions and fairs held either in Macao or on the Mainland. Such events include but are not limited to: Macao International Environmental Co-operation Forum & Exhibition (MIECF); Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF); Portuguese Speaking Countries Products and Services Exhibition (Macao) (PLPEX); the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF); the Summit on Chinese Central SOEs Supporting Macao as Co-operation Platform between China and PSCs; China International Import Expo (CIIE); and the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT). In addition, IPIM has also set up in Macao the Portuguese-speaking Countries Food Products Exhibition Centre. Similar displays are available in various Mainland cities so as to help the process of introducing quality products from Portuguese-speaking Countries to the Mainland.
Development of the Greater Bay Area and Co-operation with Portuguese-speaking Countries
The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) was officially published in February 2019, further helps clarifying Macao’s role as a co-operation platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries. The Outline Development Plan advocates the continuous promotion of the national “Belt and Road” Initiative and identifies Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou and Shenzhen as “core cities” within the Greater Bay Area. Work to stimulate the development of what is the world’s fourth-largest bay area has commenced in an orderly manner. Macao’s platform role is also being furthered in this context, in order that all sides can achieve mutual benefits: Macao is pursuing co-operation – involving respectively the Mainland, the countries and regions covered by the “Belt and Road” Initiative, and the Portuguese-speaking Countries – in economic matters, trade, finance, production capacity, and human resources training.
The Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries assists enterprises to explore business opportunities
