Sam starts 3-nation SEA nation trip in Singapore
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai left for a 3-nation South East Asian nation trip today, leading a Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government delegation, accompanied by a group of Macao businesspeople, on a visit to Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, the Macao Government Information Bureau (GCS) has announced.
Sam departed for Singapore earlier today. The delegation is slated to return to Macau next Saturday.
According to GCS statement released yesterday, the local government expects that, building on existing good relations, this visit will further strengthen close ties between Macao and countries in Southeast Asia, and continue to promote practical cooperation across multiple fields.
During the Chief Executive’s visit, the statement noted, the delegation will hold a raft of receptions and trade, tourism and investment promotion events in Singapore, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. These events will focus on showcasing the development achievements of the successful implementation of “One Country, Two Systems” principle in Macao, promoting the key contents of Macao’s 3rd Five-Year Plan and highlighting new opportunities brought by deepening the integrated development of Macao and Hengqin, while facilitating business matchmaking and cooperation.
During the visit, Sam will meet with leaders of the three countries and ASEAN-related officials, with a view to further deepening mutually friendly relations. The statement said that the local government expects exchanges and cooperation with these three countries in areas such as economic and trade affairs, technology, culture, tourism and education to be further strengthened, and that the overall level of cooperation with the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Singapore and Malaysia, will be further enhanced.
In Singapore, Sam will visit industrial parks, tourism facilities, the revitalisation of the city state’s old quarters, and public housing (HDB) projects, aiming to provide references for Macao’s related projects. He will also deliver a speech at the National University of Singapore.
In Jakarta, the MSAR Government will host an exhibition on cultural exchanges and mutual learning between Macao and the maritime Silk Road civilisations, adding new momentum to cultural cooperation between the two places.
In Kuala Lumpur, the MSAR Government will, together with a number of Macao higher education institutions, hold a promotion campaign for further studies, deepening exchanges and cooperation in higher education and talent development.
The MSAR Government will once again organise multiple enterprises from Macao, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin and the Chinese mainland to join forces and venture overseas to jointly expand into Southeast Asian markets, the statement said.
Sam will also meet local leaders of the overseas Chinese community and representatives of chambers of commerce in the three countries to discuss cooperation.
Members of the MSAR Government delegation include Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han, Chief of Staff of the Chief Executive’s Office Chan Kok and several officials at the bureau-director level.
During Sam’s absence, Secretary for Administration Wong Sio Chak temporarily assume the duties of the MSAR Chief Executive.
In April, Sam visited Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Belgium, including meetings with World Trade Organisation Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva and senior EU officials in Brussels.
Macao is a WTO founding member.
The Central People’s Government has encouraged Macau to strengthen its economic and cultural ties with Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries, the European Union and Southeast Asia.
N.B. Chinese translation arranged and edited by the Post. Additional information has been added by the Post.
