The U.S.-China Bay to Bay Dialogue, co-organised by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, the California government, and the California-China Climate Institute, took place in San Francisco, US, on 29 May (San Francisco time). The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ms Ao Ieong U led, on behalf of the Chief Executive, the delegation of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) to participate in the event. Other honoured attendees included Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Wang Weizhong; Governor of California, Mr Gavin Newsom; President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Mr Yang Wanming; Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong SAR), Mr Chan Mo-po; and Consul General of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco, Mr Zhang Jianmin.

Make the most of Macao’s system and special status, maximising the function of its ‘golden business card’ in the development of the Greater Bay Area

Secretary Ao Ieong U said in her speech that the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a major national strategic project personally planned and promoted by President Xi Jinping. With the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Master Plan of the Development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, as well as infrastructure such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the new Hengqin port and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor, the east and west sides of the Greater Bay Area have been better connected, allowing the Macao SAR to play a significant strategic role in the development of the Greater Bay Area. At present, the Greater Bay Area is making solid progress towards the goal of developing into ‘a vibrant and internationally competitive first-class bay area’. With the support of national policies and the national development planning for the integration of Macao and Hengqin, Macao will further capitalise on its strengths and special status from the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy and being a separate customs territory and a commercial and trade co-operation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. The Macao SAR Government has fully aligned with various major national development strategies, focusing on the development of its positioning as ‘One Centre, One Platform, One Base’, and strives to promote moderate economic diversification and strengthen foreign exchanges and co-operation through the Development Plan for Appropriate Economic Diversification of the Macao Special Administrative Region (2024-2028). In the future, the Macao SAR will continue to strengthen co-operation with the nine cities in Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong SAR, so as to jointly accelerate the supporting and leading role of the Greater Bay Area in China’s economic development and opening up. Macao will also actively make the best use of its unique status and advantages, and deepen co-operation with other countries and regions in such fields as economy, science and technology, education and culture, with a view to maximising the function of Macao’s ‘golden business card’ as an international metropolis in the development of the Greater Bay Area.

Macao delegation participates in discussions on the Bay Areas to promote friendly exchanges and co-operation

Government officials, experts and scholars from Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong SAR, the Macau SAR, and California conducted group discussions during the high-level exchange session of the event. On behalf of the Macao SAR Government, President of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute U U Sang, Vice Rector of the University of Macau Ge Wei, and President of the Macau University of Science and Technology Lee Hun-wei, engaged in the discussions, sharing respectively on three major topics: ‘Sharing development opportunities in the Bay Areas’, ‘Jointly cultivating friendships between the peoples that span generations’ and ‘Building green and low-carbon Bay Areas together’, promoting exchanges between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Members of the Macao delegation participating in the event also included: Director of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ho Ioc San, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin Su Kun, Director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau Kong Chi Meng, Director of the Economic Development Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-operation Zone in Hengqin Lei Chi Wai, Secretary-General of the Talent Development Committee Chao Chong Hang, Rector of Macao Polytechnic University Im Sio Kei, Rector of the Macao University of Tourism Vong Chuk Kwan, Rector of the City University of Macau Liu Jun, Consultant of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Leong Veng Hang, member of the Talent Development Committee U Seng Pan, and member of the Talent Review and Recruitment Committee Kong Chio Fai.