Big hopes for big health

In the News

Secretary for Economy and Finance Anton Tai Kin Ip opened the 2025 Belt and Road Initiative Global Health Forum this week, urging greater cooperation and innovation in the health sector. He emphasized Macau’s strategic role in the initiative and its commitment to economic diversification through the big health industry.

In his opening speech, Tai highlighted President Xi Jinping’s December 2024 visit to Macau, noting Xi’s call for the city to “strive to build a higher level of opening-up platform” and to “actively participate in the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road.”

Macau was described as “an important bridgehead for the country’s opening-up,” uniquely positioned to connect China with Portuguese-speaking countries and other Belt and Road nations.

Calling the big health industry “a new engine for future economic growth,” the economy and finance secretary identified Chinese medicine as a key sector in Macau’s economic diversification. Tai expressed hope the forum would become “a broader cooperation platform” to deepen partnerships.

In closing, Tai stated “with the mutual efforts of multiple parties, the big health industry will move forward more steadily.”

According to the forum’s website, it aims to support Macau’s economic diversification by cultivating the health industry to ensure sustainable growth, aligned with the Healthy Macau Blueprint to build a healthy city.

Speakers at the forum included experts from Poland, Hungary, Brazil, Macau, and Germany, representing leading institutions in experimental biology, translational sciences, medical genetics, and digital health.

Panels discussed the need for close collaboration among researchers, medical professionals, industry partners, and cross-border cooperation to overcome bottlenecks and avoid duplication. NS