Guangdong – Macao Trade and Economic Co-operation Information Section

Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province actively connects with enterprises from Portuguese-speaking Countries

The opening ceremony of the 24th Macao International Trade & Investment Fair (24th MIF) took place in Macao on 17 October. A number of seminars on the business opportunities arising from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) was held at MIF, making use of Macao’s advantages as a “Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries”.

The Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province partnered with the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) to organise the “Guangdong Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries Enterprise Seminar”. Making use of Macao’s role as a co-operation platform, the seminar aimed to boost business and trade exchanges and co-operation between Guangdong, Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSCs), as well as to facilitate the participation of PSCs enterprises in the development of the Greater Bay Area.

Seminar participants included: Mr Chen Yuehua, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province; Mr Vincent U, Executive Director of IPIM; and Mr Niu Huifeng, Advisor of the Executive Office of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao). The event was also attended by PSCs’ representatives and business representatives from Guangdong and Macao.
During the seminar, Mr Chen put forward two suggestions to enhance investment and trade co-operation between Guangdong and PSCs. The first was to expand actively the scope of trade co-operation with PSCs. He said that PSCs enterprises were most welcome in Guangdong Province, in particular, to participate in its exhibitions, such as the Canton Fair (also known as China Import and Export Fair), the China Hi-Tech Fair, the Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo (MSRE), and the China (Guangzhou) International Food Exhibition and Import Food Exhibition . Mr Chen said participation in such events would help to enrich the province’s range of imports regarding natural resource-based products and speciality goods.

Mr Chen added that Guangdong firms were also welcome to expand the scope of their imports from PSCs by making use of cross-border e-commerce platforms. High-quality food and agricultural products from the PSCs could make use of such e-channels, to serve not only local consumer in Guangdong, but also help province in industrial transformation and upgrade.

Additionally, Guangdong could act as a base for exports to PSCs according to local demands, providing them with a wide range of products including traditional Chinese medicines, medical equipment, textiles and clothing, and electrical and mechanical products. That was in order to satisfy the needs of PSCs’ people for Chinese-patent medicines, especially Chinese-patent anti-malarial drugs, healthcare and beauty goods, and daily-need products.

Guangdong – as a province with a huge demand for resources – was poised to strengthen the co-operation with PSCs in the fields of mining, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and cultural and creative industries, said Mr Chen. He added that the provincial government supported internationally competitive enterprises engaging in household appliance or textiles to invest in PSCs and initiate international capacity collaboration projects. In addition, more co-operation opportunities may be created by inviting PSCs representatives to the Greater Bay Area to take part in trade co-operation and investment projects, with the support of Macao’s functions as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure as a Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, he said.

The “Guangdong Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries Enterprise Seminar” was held on the first day of the 24th MIF

“Symposium on Greater Bay Area Economic Co-operation and Bay Areas’ Economic Co-operation and Development Exchanges” held in Shanghai

The “Symposium on Greater Bay Area Economic Co-operation and Bay Areas’ Economic Co-operation and Development Exchanges” was held in Shanghai on 6 November. It was hosted by the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government and coordinated by the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province.

Mr Chen Liangxian, Vice Governor of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government, attended the event. He took the opportunity for face-to-face interactions with senior executives of multinational companies who were in Shanghai for the 2nd China International Import Expo, which was held concurrently with the symposium.
The symposium featured presentations by several firms, related to their business development and future investments in Guangdong. It also included suggestions on how to grasp the opportunities associated with – and how to accelerate – the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area), and how to further optimise Guangdong’s business environment.

During the event, representatives from the Japan External Trade Organization, the Bay Area Council (San Francisco), Invest Hong Kong, and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, delivered presentations on the bay areas they respectively represent – i.e. either Tokyo Bay, San Francisco Bay Area, or the Greater Bay Area. Each presentation explained the vision behind the relevant conurbation. Participants also shared views on strengthening mutual business and trade exchanges and co-operation, and discussed the great potential arising from comprehensive links and collaboration between the three bay areas.

Senior executives from 28 multinational enterprises attended the event, putting forward opinions and suggestions on, innovative co-operation models, business environment optimisation, and industrial development. Participants mentioned they expected to seize opportunities for business growth arising from the development of the Greater Bay Area, and to deepen co-operation with Guangdong.

After the seminar, the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province and the Bay Area Council, representing San Francisco, signed a memorandum of understanding on economic and trade co-operation.

Symposium on Greater Bay Area Economic Co-operation and Bay Areas’ Economic Co-operation and Development Exchanges