Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip pledged yesterday that the local government will continue to optimise Macau’s business environment with the aim of providing stronger guarantees for overseas Chinese entrepreneurs to invest and develop businesses in the city.
Tai made the remarks while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the 3rd Conference on Overseas Chinese Supporting High-Quality Development of the Belt and Road Initiative held at Macau Tower yesterday.
The one-day conference was jointly organised by the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and the Macau Association of Returned Overseas Chinese.
Yesterday’s opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries such as Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Macau’s first chief executive and now a vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Central People’s Government Liaison Office in the MSAR Director Zheng Xincong, and Foreign Ministry Commissioner in the MSAR Liu Xianfa.
In his speech, Tai noted that throughout history, entrepreneurs and leaders of Chinese communities all over the world have not only been a valuable force in promoting global economic development and supporting the development of the nation’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), but have also served as a crucial link connecting China with the rest of the world and fostering global trade, investment, and cultural exchanges.
Since the nation’s launch of its BRI, Tai said, powerful impetus has been injected into improving the living conditions and economic development of countries and regions participating in the BRI, with the breadth, depth, and level of cooperation in multiple areas continuously enhancing.
Tai also noted the nation’s commitment, made in the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held in October, to promoting high-standard opening up, taking the initiative to open China wider, promoting the innovative development of trade, creating greater space for two-way investment cooperation, and pursuing high-quality Belt and Road (B&R) cooperation. The policy secretary said that all these have provided Macau with a clear direction for further promoting international cooperation and driving industrial development in the future.
Tai noted that as an important node of the BRI, Macau possesses a unique history of over 400 years of cultural exchange between China and the West, underlining the MSAR government’s long-standing commitment to serving the nation’s needs by leveraging Macau’s strengths and contributing to the development of the BRI.
Tai said that the hosting of the conference’s third edition, which brought together nearly 1,000 guests, including leaders and youth from Chinese communities in 80 countries and regions and representatives from various segments of Macau’s civil society, has not only vividly illustrated the successful implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle in Macau, but has also provided important support for Macau in integrating into and serving the nation’s overall development.
Tai stressed the MSAR government’s commitment to strengthening Macau’s role as “One Centre, One Platform, One Base”, while developing the city into a high ground for gathering international high-end talent, sparing no effort in promoting the Macau-Hengqin integrated development, and vigorously implementing measures to advance Macau’s appropriate economic diversification.
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 co-existence of different cultures.
Tai also underlined Macau’s commitment to performing a better role as a “precise liaison” between China and Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries, while assisting mainland Chinese companies to expand their businesses in the international market and attracting international investors to establish a presence in Macau and Hengqin.
The policy secretary noted that next year marks the beginning of the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan, pledging that Macau will continue to leverage its strengths, while optimising its business environment in order to provide stronger guarantees and more solid safeguards for entrepreneurs and leaders of overseas Chinese communities to invest and develop businesses in Macau, and supporting a deeper integration between the resources of overseas Chinese communities and various industries in Macau such as finance, technology, and cultural tourism.
Moreover, Tai underlined that Macau will continue to consolidate its economic and trade cooperation platform serving ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries and Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries, while leveraging the bridging role of overseas Chinese communities to promote mutual exchanges and learning between Chinese and other civilisations, telling China’s stories well, and conveying Macau’s voice, with the aim of accelerating the high-quality development of the BRI.
CPPCC senior official raises 3 expectations for overseas Chinese
Also delivering a speech during yesterday’s opening ceremony, Liu Cigui, who heads the CPPCC National Committee’s Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese, raised three expectations for overseas Chinese.
First, Liu said, overseas Chinese should seize development opportunities and be a practitioner in the high-quality development of the BRI.
Liu urges overseas Chinese to fully combine their fund, technology and management advantages with the resources and market potential of BRI countries, with the aim of making contributions to China advancing practical cooperation with BRI countries in various fields such as trade, investment, technological innovation, and cultural exchanges.
Second, Liu said, overseas Chinese should foster people-to-people connectivity and be a promoter in deepening mutual exchanges and learning among civilisations.
Liu urged overseas Chinese to share more stories of China’s commitment to peaceful development and win-win cooperation, spread the concepts of peace, inclusive spirit, and development wisdom embedded in Chinese culture, and showcase more of the unique charm and contemporary value of Chinese civilisation, with the aim of promoting the shared development and joint progress of different civilisations through mutual respect.
Third, Liu said, overseas Chinese should leverage their unique strengths and be a participant of Macau’s prosperity and stability.
Liu urged overseas Chinese to make good use of the institutional advantages brought about by the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle in Macau in order to expand all-round exchanges and interactions with Macau and vigorously participate in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
Dignitaries and other guests cut the ribbon during yesterday’s opening ceremony, such as Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (centre), Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee Vice Chairman Edmund Ho Hau Wah (to the left of Sam), Central People’s Government Liaison Office Zheng Xincong (to the right of Sam), and Foreign Ministry Commissioner Liu Xianfa (to the right of Zheng). – Photo: GCS
Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip addresses yesterday’s opening ceremony of the 3rd Conference on Overseas Chinese Supporting High-Quality Development of the Belt and Road Initiative. – Photo courtesy of TDM
Liu Cigui, who heads the CPPCC National Committee’s Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese, delivers a speech during yesterday’s opening ceremony of the conference at Macau Tower. – Photo: Tony Wong
