On the last day of his two-day official visit to Indonesia, Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai paid a courtesy call on ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn yesterday morning, where they exchanged views on deepening “pragmatic” cooperation between Macau and ASEAN across various fields, according to a statement by the Macao Government Information Bureau (GCS) yesterday.
ASEAN is the abbreviation of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It is headquartered in Jakarta.
Sam departed from Macau on Saturday last week for an eight-day working visit to three Southeast Asian countries – Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. He is leading a delegation comprising local officials and about 120 business representatives on his visit to the three countries.
Sam’s delegation arrived in Kuala Lumpur from Jakarta last night. They are scheduled to return to Macau on Saturday.
During his meeting with Kao at the ASEAN Secretariat, according to the statement, Sam expressed his gratitude to ASEAN for its continuous support in helping member states strengthen cooperation with the MSAR. He noted that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of China and ASEAN countries, mutual strategic trust has continued to grow and cooperation in all sectors has deepened, with the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership maintaining strong momentum.
Sam said that the central authorities are strongly supporting the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in becoming a new growth engine for cooperation with ASEAN. As a key member of the GBA, he said, Macau will vigorously strengthen close ties and pragmatic cooperation with ASEAN nations to jointly contribute to sustained regional development, prosperity, and stability.
Sam also highlighted the latest developments in Macau and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, as well as the major opportunities presented by Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan’s alignment with the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan. He said that Macau welcomes ASEAN nations to encourage their enterprises to leverage the Macau-Hengqin platform to connect the two vast markets of Southeast Asia and the Chinese mainland, sharing the fruits of regional synergy.
Sam noted that Macau and ASEAN countries have long maintained close interactions, with a large community of returned overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia living in Macau, serving as a cultural and commercial bridge between Macau and Southeast Asia.
Sam said that ASEAN countries are also a primary source of Macau’s international visitors, accounting for a high percentage of its foreign visitor arrivals. He said he expects the ASEAN Secretariat to support its member states in utilising their historical and cultural ties with Macau, the resources and network of returned overseas Chinese and their relatives, and commercial association channels. This will foster a cooperative pattern featuring mutual source market development, economic and trade connectivity, industrial alignment, cultural integration, and mutual learning among civilisations.
Sam noted that Macau possesses institutional advantages for participating in multilateral international cooperation, adding he hopes that in the future, under the authorisation from the central authorities and with the support and assistance of the ASEAN Secretariat, Macau can join relevant China-ASEAN cooperation mechanisms in an appropriate capacity and participate in events hosted by ASEAN.
During the meeting, according to the statement, Kao noted that this year marks the 5th anniversary of the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, making Sam’s visit to ASEAN nations particularly meaningful. He said that China’s central government has assigned Macau’s role as a “One Centre, One Platform, One Base”, demonstrating its strong support for deepening cooperation between Macau and ASEAN.
The Macau government’s “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” concept refers to Macau developing itself into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and an exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as its mainstream and the co-existence of different cultures.
Kao noted that in recent years, Macau has recorded encouraging visitor arrival figures, while ASEAN countries have collectively recorded a yearly average of 120 million visitors during the period, highlighting the huge potential for further tourism collaboration.
Kao said that ASEAN is currently promoting the development of e-commerce, expressing confidence that member states and Macau can fully complement each other’s strengths, boosting connectivity and collaboration in investment, trade, tourism, and culture.
Kao underlined that the ASEAN Secretariat is willing to maintain close contact with the MSAR Government to discuss further exchange and cooperation.
Sam meets Chinese ambassador to Indonesia
Meanwhile, Sam met with Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Wang Lutong at noon yesterday, where they exchanged views on pragmatically expanding economic and trade cooperation, and strengthening people-to-people exchanges between Macau and Indonesia, according to a separate GCS statement last night.
Sam said that Macau and Indonesia share strong cultural ties, with many Indonesian citizens working in Macau, serving as a bridge to deepen connections. Furthermore, Macau is currently committed to expanding its Muslim visitor base, offering vast potential for tourism collaboration with Indonesia. He expects the Embassy to assist Macau in strengthening local tourism promotion to attract more Indonesian citizens to visit Macau.
Sam also expressed hope that the Embassy will assist Macau enterprises in connecting with relevant Indonesian Halal certification bodies and industry associations, providing information on certification standards and policies so that Macau businesses can accurately grasp and cater to the needs of the Muslim market.
Sam also said that the MSAR Government is pushing for the resumption of direct flights between Macau and Jakarta, for which he hopes to receive stronger support from the Embassy.
During the meeting, Wang pointed out that Sam is the first MSAR Chief Executive to visit Indonesia, reflecting the MSAR Government’s strategic direction and the importance it attaches to deepening ties with Indonesia.
Wang also noted that Indonesia boasts the world’s largest overseas Chinese population, and Chinese entrepreneurs have made immense contributions to Indonesia’s socioeconomic development.
Wang said that the MSAR Government’s organising Macau, Hengqin, and other Chinese mainland enterprises to visit Indonesia will certainly inject strong new momentum into bilateral trade and economic exchanges.
Sam meets with Indonesia’s economy minister
Meanwhile, Sam met with Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto on Tuesday night, according to a GCS statement yesterday morning.
The meeting was also attended by about 20 business representatives from Macau, Hengqin, and other places in the Chinese mainland.
Sam noted that Indonesia is a vital node along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road – the second component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – and a key partner for Macau in expanding its cooperation across Southeast Asia. Both Macau and Indonesia boast rich tourism resources and deep cultural heritage, enjoying frequent people-to-people exchanges and close economic and trade ties.
Sam said that with the Indonesian government recently restoring visa-free entry for MSAR passport holders, bilateral exchanges will further increase. He expressed confidence that there is vast room for growth across various fields of cooperation, including tourism, trade, and the big health industry.
Sam added that Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population and immense market potential, meaning that economic and trade cooperation with Macau still has significant room for expansion. Many Macau enterprises are seeking Halal product certification to focus on tapping into the Indonesian market, he said.
Sam also said he expects both Macau and Indonesia to work together to promote the early resumption of direct flights.
Airlangga Hartarto said that Indonesia can fully leverage Macau’s highly internationalised platform to explore further cooperation opportunities in fields such as economy and trade, tourism, healthcare, AI, and green technology. He highlighted that the number of Indonesian visitors to Macau ranks among the highest within Macau’s Southeast Asian source markets, reflecting a solid foundation and broad potential for tourism collaboration. He looks forward to both sides vigorously exploring the resumption of direct flights between Jakarta and Macau to enhance connectivity and boost bilateral trade and economic exchanges.
Sam meets with Indonesia’s tourism minister
Meanwhile, Sam also met with Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri on Tuesday night, where they exchanged views on deepening tourism cooperation between Macau and Indonesia.
Sam expressed his gratitude on behalf of the MSAR Government to Widiyanti Putri for promoting the restoration of visa-free access to Indonesia for MSAR passport holders, noting that this measure will inject new momentum into deepening tourism cooperation between the two regions.
Sam said that in the future, Macau will further strengthen connections between the tourism authorities and aviation sectors of both sides, innovate tourism products, and expand visitor source markets. He expressed hope for strong support from Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism to jointly advance relevant work.
During the meeting, both sides agreed that under the guidance of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, Macau and Indonesia will continue to expand tourism cooperation and promote the implementation of more specific projects.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn (right) shakes hands with Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai on the sidelines of their meeting at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta yesterday. – Photo: GCS
Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (left) and Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai meet with business representatives from Macau, Hengqin, and other places in the Chinese mainland, in Jakarta on Tuesday night. – Photo: GCS
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai meets with Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri in Jakarta on Tuesday night. – Photo: GCS
