CE targets Portugal visit in first half of next year

Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai said he hopes to visit Portugal in the first half of next year, after several postponements caused by Macau government responsibilities and Portuguese elections.

Speaking on the sidelines of the MSAR Government-hosted National Day reception, Sam emphasized that Portugal remains his priority for an overseas visit, and that planning with Portuguese leaders is ongoing.

He explained to local media on Wednesday that scheduling conflicts, including overseeing his first Policy Address presentation and the recent eighth legislative assembly (AL) elections, as well as the reshuffling of Portugal’s National Assembly following its elections, had prevented the trip from taking place.

“Due to various matters within the Macau SAR Government, it has not yet been possible to carry out this visit,” he said.

The official had originally planned to visit Portugal and Spain, with an initial announcement in April 2025 scheduling the trip for the first half of the year. It was later rescheduled for September but ultimately canceled without a new date.

Sam noted that he had also expressed his travel intentions to Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro during Montenegro’s visit to Macau last month, emphasizing that contact and planning “were always upheld.”

He reiterated, “I maintain that I still wish for Portugal to be my first overseas visit. We are coordinating to hopefully arrange a visit to Portugal in the first half of next year. I am confident that a visit to Portugal could be expected in the first half of next year. Only after completing the Portugal visit will I arrange visits to other countries that are important for Macau’s future development.”

Alongside the travel update, the CE highlighted Macau’s role as a “strategic platform” between China and Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs) in economic and trade matters during his National Day speech.

He stated, “We will build the China-Portuguese (Spanish) Speaking Countries Economic and Trade Service Centre and establish a China-Portugal Trade and Economic Development Fund with an initial investment of RMB1 billion.”