Opening ceremony held for 6th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao

MACAU, April 22 - The 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), the latter a body known as Forum Macao, officially opened this morning in Macao.

The opening ceremony of the 6th Ministerial Conference of Forum Macao was held at the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform Complex.

Guests delivering speeches at the opening ceremony were: member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, Mr Li Hongzhong; Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Republic of Angola, Mr Rui Miguêns de Oliveira; Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Micro and Small Business of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Mr Francisco Tadeu Barbosa de Alencar; Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Business Promotion, and Minister of Digital Economy of the Republic of Cabo Verde, Mr Olavo Correia; Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Integration of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Mr Soares Sambú; Vice Minister of Trade, Industry, and Business Promotion of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Mr Jerónimo Carlos Osa Osa Nzang; Vice Minister of Industry and Commerce of the Republic of Mozambique, Ms Ludovina Bernardo; Minister of Economy of the Portuguese Republic, Mr Pedro Reis; Vice President of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, Mr Abnildo do Nascimento D'Oliveira; and Vice Prime Minister, Minister Coordinator for Economic Affairs, and Minister of Tourism and Environment of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Mr Francisco Kalbuadi Lay.

Guests attending the ceremony included the Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), and members of delegations of the Portuguese-speaking countries.

Officiating at the opening ceremony was the Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Wang Wentao.

Prior to the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman Mr Li posed for a group photograph with the delegation heads of all of the nine Portuguese-speaking countries.

Among the 1,000 guests attending the opening ceremony were: Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, Mr Ho Hau Wah; Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the CPC Central Committee, Mr Zhou Ji; Deputy Secretary-General of the NPC Standing Committee, Mr Liu Junchen; the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR, Mr Zheng Xincong; and Mr Chui Sai On.

The Ministerial Conference would be held in the afternoon, and would outline the development vision and direction for cooperation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries for the period up to 2027. Such effort would further Macao’s role as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. Member states of Forum Macao will sign the Strategic Plan for Economic and Trade Co-operation (2024-2027).

Forum Macao was founded in Macao in October 2003. It resulted from an initiative by China’s Central Government, via the country’s Ministry of Commerce, with collaboration from the MSAR Government. Forum Macao involves the nine Portuguese-speaking countries, namely Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.