The jointly held 31st Macao International Trade & Investment Fair (31st MIF), 2026 Portuguese-Speaking Countries Products and Services Exhibition (Macao) (2026PLPEX), and Macao Franchise Expo 2026 (2026MFE) all kicked off yesterday morning with an opening ceremony at The Venetian Macau, altogether providing a combined 30,000 square metres of space for exhibitors to showcase their products throughout the events’ four-day run.
All themed “Macao: The Global Hub of Business Convergence”, the events feature around 1,000 exhibitors while showcasing a diverse mix of products including cutting-edge technology to specialty coffee.
Among the officials attending yesterday’s opening ceremony were Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai and Liaison Office Director Zheng Xincong and Foreign Ministry Commissioner Bian Lixin.
Addressing yesterday morning’s ceremony, Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han pointed out that the event has drawn buyers and exhibitors from over 50 countries and regions, with the concurrent exhibitions “demonstrating Macau’s role as a bridge connecting markets at home and abroad through its MICE platform”.
Ng also pointed out the new highlights in the exhibition aimed at “strengthening global connectivity and business matching”, such as establishing the new “Spanish-Speaking Countries Industry Pavilion”, which, according to a previous Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) statement, comprises nearly 30 enterprises and institutions from11 Spanish-speaking countries and regions, for the first time.
Moreover, Ng said that the government, building on Macau’s established role as a Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, continues to extend “the reach of its business and trade cooperation network to encompass Spanish-speaking countries, Southeast Asia and other overseas markets, thereby making use of Macau’s unique advantage of ‘Internal Connectivity and External Access” as a platform’”.
“Since the beginning of this year, the SAR Government has continued to promote an innovative model combining government-enterprise collaboration, Macao-Hengqin synergy and the ‘shared voyage’ approach to collaborative overseas expansion. Under this model, enterprises from the Chinese mainland, Macau and Hengqin have joined delegations led by the chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) to Portugal, Spain, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia to explore overseas markets, achieving tangible results”, she said.
“The three exhibitions will carry forward and enhance these valuable outcomes by creating more opportunities for exchanges and business matching among enterprises from home and abroad, reinforcing existing trade and business co-operation networks, and forging closer international economic and trade partnerships”, Ng noted.
Moreover, Ng added that the three exhibitions will also continue to “strengthen co-ordination between Macau and Hengqin”, and, in concluding her remarks, Ng also pointed out the government’s commitments to Macau’s development.
She noted: “This year marks the beginning of both the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan and Macau’s Third Five-Year Plan. Looking ahead, the SAR Government will build on Macau’s strategic positioning as “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” and “One Highland”* to make steady progress in advancing appropriate economic diversification. With the four major infrastructure projects, including the Macao Technology Research Industrial Park, and the Government Guidance Fund as key drivers, we will continue to optimise the complementary advantages and co-ordinated development of the region, upgrade our industrial development framework, and strive to establish a new development landscape for trade in services and diversified industries”.
The triple fair concludes on Saturday. Admission is free. The fair is held annually.
*In the context of Macao’s current policy, the “Highland” (高地) concept most specifically refers to building Macao into a “Highland for Gathering International High-end Talents” (国际高端人才集聚高地). This is a new strategic positioning granted to Macao by the Central People’s Government, aiming to leverage Macao’s unique advantages under “One Country, Two Systems” to attract and retain top-tier talent globally, thereby supporting Macao’s economic diversification and the country’s talent strategy. – DeepSeek
This photo taken and provided by the Government Information Bureau (GCS) yesterday shows Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (centre), Liaison Office Director Zheng Xincong (seventh from left), Foreign Ministry Commissioner Bian Lixin (seventh from right), Secretary for Economy and Finance Dora Ng Wai Han (fourth from right) and other senior representatives posing for a group photo during yesterday’s joint opening ceremony for the 31st Macao International Trade & Investment Fair (31st MIF), 2026 Portuguese Speaking Countries Products and Services Exhibition (Macao) (2026PLPEX) and the Macao Franchise Expo 2026 (2026MFE) at The Venetian Macao in Cotai.
