CE pitches Macau as ‘precise liaison’ for Lusophone markets in talks with Shenzhen

Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai told Shenzhen Party Secretary Jin Lei on Friday that Macau could serve as a “precise liaison” for Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking markets while drawing on Shenzhen’s innovation strengths, as the two discussed deeper cooperation in technology, tourism, and finance.

According to a statement from the Government Information Bureau (GCS) on Sunday, Sam met with Jin, a member of the Guangdong Provincial Party Standing Committee and secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee, on Sept. 11, with the two sides exchanging views on deepening ongoing Macau-Shenzhen cooperation in technological innovation, tourism, and finance.

Sam noted that visitor arrivals to Macau had surpassed 30 million this year, reaching the milestone 22 days earlier than last year — a result he attributed to the strong support of the central government and the collective efforts of all sectors of Macau society in advancing the region’s development.

He observed that the city’s continued progress has injected fresh momentum into Macau-Shenzhen cooperation, adding that Shenzhen, as a global innovation hub with robust industry-academia-research capabilities, could offer valuable experience through closer collaboration to strengthen the commercialization of research outcomes and help develop the Macau-Hengqin International Education (University) Town into an integrated industry-academia-research platform.

Noting that Shenzhen has issued offshore renminbi local government bonds in Macau for two consecutive years — a testament to the deepening financial ties between the two places — Sam was quoted as stating that Macau would continue to harness its role as a “precise liaison” to help Shenzhen enterprises gain better access to Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking markets.

According to the GCS statement, Jin, for his part, briefed those present on Shenzhen’s economic and social development. He said cooperation between Shenzhen and Macau had yielded positive results, and pledged that, looking ahead, Shenzhen would fully leverage its role — alongside Macau — as a central city and core engine of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, strengthening coordinated development across major platforms and deepening practical cooperation in multiple fields, with the aim of delivering more achievements in trade, finance, cultural tourism, technological innovation, logistics, youth talent development, and innovation and entrepreneurship.