The “Entrepreneurs Meeting for Commercial and Economic Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries - Malabo - 2025” was held in Equatorial Guinea on 29 July local time, with the theme of “Industrialisation Promotes Agricultural Development” and brought together 500 political and business representatives from Chinese mainland, Portuguese-speaking Countries and Macao-Hengqin. It should be noted that Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) organised a 40-member delegation to participate in the Meeting, which comprises entrepreneurs and representatives from the economic and trade sectors of Chinese mainland and Macao-Hengqin, engaged in trade, finance, cross-border e-commerce, agriculture, big health, medical technology, professional services and tourism. 

The Meeting arranged 120 business matching sessions and contract signing for 6 projects, relating to collaborations in the fields of arbitration and dispute resolution, agricultural products, legal services, transportation, information technology, etc.

Promoting Economic and Trade Exchanges Between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries

Mr. Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua, Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Mr. Gaudencio Mohaba Messu, the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, Business Development & Industry of Equatorial Guinea, Mr. Wang Wengang, the Chinese ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, Mr. Ji Xianzheng, Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, Ms. Xu Jinli, Representative of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and Director of Bilateral Co-operation Department of the China Chamber of International Commerce, Mr. Benjamín Mitogo Bielo, the Chairman of the Equatorial Guinea Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Fu Yongge, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Co-Operation Zone In Hengqin, Ms. Zhang Xiaomei, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Work Committee of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee (Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office), and Mr. Luiz Jacinto, Member of Macao IPIM Board of Directors attended the Entrepreneurs Meeting, with the aim of promoting economic and trade exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries.

Mr. Luiz Jacinto stated that this was the first time that the “Entrepreneurs Meeting for Commercial and Economic Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” was held in Equatorial Guinea after this country became an official member of the Forum Macao. Equatorial Guinea would provide support in promoting project matching, helping Chinese enterprises to go global and promoting bilateral industrial co-operation. To give full play to Macao’s role as a “China-PSCs platform” and a “China-PSCs Precise Connector”, IPIM will continue to hold and participate in various economic and trade activities, such as the “Second China-Portuguese-Speaking Countries Economic and Trade Expo (Macao) (C-PLPEX)” to take place in Macao in October, expecting to further deepen China-PSCs economic and trade co-operation.

Building a Co-operation Platform to Jointly Explore Chinese mainland, PSCs and Macao-Hengqin Business Opportunities

The Meeting included a series of activities, such as an exhibition of products from 30 Equatorial Guinea companies, a thematic seminar on the bilateral economic and trade relations between China and Equatorial Guinea, business matching sessions, contract signing ceremony, inspection to local farms, and cultural and tourism projects.

According to some participating entrepreneurs, through the precise connection provided by Macao China-PSCs platform, they were able to access Equatorial Guinea’s business resources and comprehend the market demands of the country. This event also facilitated the establishment of meaningful connections with local enterprises. Representatives of Equatorial Guinean companies attending the Meeting stated that the event allowed them to understand the opportunities brought by the Macao-Hengqin integrated development to international investors. They were interested in visiting Macao and Hengqin, leveraging the advantages of Macao as a platform to expand into the Chinese market.

The Next Meeting Will Be Held in Mozambique

The Meeting was jointly organised by Equatorial Guinea Chamber of Commerce, Angola Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIA), Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (APEX-Brasil), Cape Verde TradeInvest, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Macao SAR Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Guinea-Bissau Investments (GBI), Mozambique Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEX), Portuguese Investment and Trade Agency (AICEP), Trade and Investment Promotion Agency of São Tomé and Príncipe (APCISTP), and TradeInvest Timor-Leste.

The Entrepreneurs Meeting for Commercial and Economic Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries is an important framework for China-PSCs economic and trade co-operation. It is a co-operation project signed between Chinese mainland’s trade promotion agency and their counterparts in Portuguese-speaking Countries and Macao SAR, during the first Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries in 2003. The Meeting has been held in Portuguese-speaking countries since 2005 on a rotating basis. So far, 16 Meetings have been held, attracting, on the whole, more than 6,800 Chinese and Portuguese entrepreneurs. In total, over 3,900 business matching sessions have been arranged and around 120 co-operation projects have been signed. The next Meeting will be held in Mozambique.