The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, met with the Secretary for Technological Development and Innovation from Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Guilherme Coutinho Calheiros. They exchanged views on issues relating to the promotion of economic and trade cooperation between Macao and Brazil, facilitation of exchanges between scientific researchers, and how to give better play to Macao’s bridging role.
The meeting was held on Tuesday (25 July) at the Government Headquarters in Macao. Mr Ho said Macao and Brazil had a good foundation for trade exchanges. Macao would further its role as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. In particular, Macao would continue its effort to assist businesses based in mainland China to explore opportunities available in Portuguese-speaking countries; and help enterprises from Portuguese-speaking countries to establish a presence in the huge mainland market.
Macao’s inherent strength in terms of language would continue to facilitate its bridging role in promoting the friendly cooperation between China and Brazil, noted Mr Ho.
In addition, Brazil had achieved advanced levels of research and development in relation to medical equipment and technology. It was hoped that the two places could work together in the “Big Health” industry, stated the Chief Executive. Mr Ho also talked about the four State Key Laboratories located in Macao, and how they had enhanced the city’s capacity in the field of scientific research.
Secretary Calheiros said that Brazil and Macao enjoyed great potential for cooperation. In addition to commerce and trade matters, the two sides could strengthen cooperation in research and development in the field of scientific and technological innovation, as well as in medicine. Brazil had prosperous medicine, aviation, and aerospace-technology sectors. The two sides should work more closely in the future, to arrange visits of scientific research personnel; and share and exchange technologies in order to achieve transformations in scientific research, he added.
Macao was a gateway for Brazil to enter the mainland China economy, and played an indispensable strategic role, said Secretary Calheiros. The Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao) was an important international platform for such work. It had achieved remarkable results in terms of promoting diverse economic and trade exchanges, and the training of talented people.
Brazil would strongly support the holding of the 6th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, and would participate in related activities. It was in order to make full use of Macao’s role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Also attending Tuesday’s meeting was the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), Mr Liu Xianfa.
Mr Liu said that with the support of the Central Government and the leadership of the Chief Executive, the MSAR was pragmatically pressing ahead with its "1+4" appropriate economic diversification strategy; and working to achieve goals outlined in the MSAR’s Second Five-Year Development Plan. These efforts had been outlined to create unprecedented opportunities for cooperation between Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Other officials present at the meeting included: Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the MSAR, Mr Sun Xiangyang; the Director of Books, Reading, Literature and Libraries at Brazil’s Ministry of Culture, Mr Jéferson dos Santos Assumção; and the Director of the Department for the Development of Industry of High Technological Complexity at Brazil’s Ministry for Industrial Development, Commerce and Services, Mr Luís Felipe Giesteira.
