Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, who is on a working visit to Singapore, met with Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung yesterday, where they exchanged views on deepening cooperation between Macau and Singapore in the fields of public health, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and governance in relation to ageing societies, according to a statement by the Macao Government Information Bureau (GCS) yesterday.
Sam departed from Macau on Saturday 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 is slated to depart for Indonesia today. They are scheduled to return to Macau this coming Saturday.
During the meeting, according to the statement, Sam noted that both Macau and Singapore are multicultural and inclusive societies, each having one of the highest population densities in the world, and sharing many commonalities in public health that provide opportunities for mutual learning.
Sam highlighted that Singapore is a global leader in public health governance and biomedical sciences, making it a highly valued partner for Macau. Singapore’s experiences provide important reference value for Macau, he said.
Sam noted that TCM is a field with strong potential for collaboration, adding that Macau welcomes Singaporean pharmaceutical companies to leverage the synergies between Macau and Hengqin by establishing operations at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao, located in Hengqin. Products developed there could not only access the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) market with ease, but also be promoted, through Macau’s business platform role, to Portuguese-speaking countries and markets covered by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), he said.
In the field of public health, Sam noted that Macau and Singapore have maintained close cooperation for many years. Since 2005, the two sides have renewed – every three years – a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation on health-related matters, strengthening collaboration in key areas such as medical personnel training, public health emergency response, and information exchange, he noted.
In addressing the shared global challenge of population ageing, both Macau and Singapore are vigorously exploring policy responses, Sam said, expecting enhanced exchanges at both policy and practical levels, including sharing experiences in social security and healthcare services, in order to jointly build more resilient models of governance for an ageing society.
During the meeting, both sides agreed that Macau and Singapore should work together to explore new pathways for collaboration in TCM and public health matters, combining Macau’s institutional and platform advantages with Singapore’s industrial and technological strengths to achieve mutually beneficial and sustainable development, according to the statement.
Sam visits public housing, tourist attractions
Meanwhile, Sam conducted several site visits in Singapore yesterday, with a view to drawing on Singapore’s successful experience in order to support Macau’s accelerated urban renewal initiative and the continuous enrichment of its attractions as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, according to a separate GCS statement last night.
Yesterday afternoon, Sam visited a public housing estate in Queenstown – a redevelopment project built in a former satellite town. Sam received a briefing from Housing & Development Board (HDB) CEO Tan Meng Dui, and they engaged in in-depth exchanges on urban planning and housing development practices.
According to the statement, Sam said that HDB flats – Singapore’s public housing stock – serve not only to meet residents’ housing needs but also form a core pillar of social stability through their high-quality, liveable environments. With a growing number of residential buildings in Macau categorised as old, Sam said, Macau must accelerate its urban renewal initiative.
Sam said that Singapore’s public housing model is globally recognised as a benchmark, and its core principles and overall approach offer valuable reference points for Macau.
Sam said that the Macau government can study Singapore’s recently highlighted policy framework for replacing older HDB flats with new ones. By adapting such models to Macau’s local context, Sam said, the Macau government can optimise the allocation of its subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) housing resources, explore a system for allowing HOS households to apply to move to other HOS units with different bedroom numbers, and develop innovative housing policies better aligned to residents’ needs.
Sam noted that urban renewal, an important initiative concerning residents’ well-being, is one of the priorities outlined in Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan. Sam said that the visit has enabled the Macau government to gain a better understanding of Singapore’s advanced urban renewal concepts and practices, providing valuable insights for Macau’s urban renewal and community governance strategies.
Yesterday morning, Sam visited popular facilities such as the Marine Life Park on Sentosa Island, learning how Singapore continuously enhances its tourism and leisure infrastructure to enrich the visitor experience. Such a site visit has provided practical lessons for Macau to diversify its tourism attractions.
Subsequently, Sam proceeded to the Gardens by the Bay to study the project’s founding vision and development plans. He said that the gardens are more than just a large urban park – they represent a successful integration of culture, art, and ecological technology, serving as an exemplary case of city branding. He also noted the inclusive features catering to the needs of seniors and children, which reflect practical measures to enhance public well-being.
Sam meets Chinese ambassador to Singapore
Meanwhile, after arriving in Singapore on Saturday afternoon, Sam met with Chinese Ambassador to Singapore Cao Zhongming in the evening, where they exchanged views on how Macau can leverage its unique role of internal and external connections to further expand cooperation with Singapore in areas including talent development, sci-tech research, and the TCM industry, according to a GCS statement on Saturday night.
Sam said that as this year marks the beginning of Macau’s 3rd Five-Year Plan, Macau will build on its development positioning as a “One Centre, One Platform, One Base”, by giving full play to its advantage in internal and external connections and East-and-West cultural integration.
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.
Sam noted that building on the successful model of its visit in April to Portugal and Spain, the Macau government has now once again brought together representatives from various key enterprises in the Chinese mainland, which are joining forces with businesses from Macau and Hengqin as a collaborative effort to explore Southeast Asian markets and establish platforms for mutual exchange.
Sam underlined that to develop Macau as an international talent hub, it is important to establish joint talent-training initiatives with Singapore and encourage Singaporean universities and research institutions to participate in major projects in Macau and Hengqin, such as the Macao Science and Technology Research and Development Industrial Park, and the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town.
Given Singapore’s solid foundation in the TCM sector, Sam said he expects his visit to attract pharmaceutical companies and research institutions from Singapore to explore partnerships with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao in Hengqin, helping connect TCM markets across the GBA and Southeast Asia.
According to the statement, Cao said during the meeting that the Macau government’s visit to the three Southeast Asian countries, covering high-level meetings, investment promotional events, and site visits, will greatly support Macau’s efforts to advance its appropriate economic diversification and sustainable development.
Cao noted that both Macau and Singapore are highly internationalised economies and place strong emphasis on multiculturalism, sharing many similarities and offering rich opportunities for mutual learning. Cao suggested that the Macau government can use the visit as an opportunity to present Macau’s broad development prospects, and promote the new opportunities arising from the development of the GBA and Hengqin, fully demonstrating Macau’s unique strengths of being backed by the motherland and connected to the world.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (left) poses for a photo with Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung on the sidelines of their meeting yesterday. – Photo: GCS
Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (front, second from right) receives a briefing from Singapore’s Housing & Development Board (HDB) CEO Tan Meng Dui (front, centre) during his visit to a public housing estate in Queenstown, Singapore yesterday, accompanied by officials including Chinese Ambassador to Singapore Cao Zhongming (front, right). – Photo: GCS
