CE wraps Europe tour, touts deeper ties in trade, tourism and high-tech sectors

Sam Hou Fai visits the Macao Economic and Trade Office to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium

Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai returned to Macau yesterday after leading a delegation of government officials and business representatives on visits to Portugal and Spain, followed by stops in Geneva, Switzerland, and Brussels, Belgium – including the European Union headquarters – where he highlighted Macau’s development achievements under the successful implementation of the ‘One country, two systems’ principle.

On Thursday local time, Sam met with Yolanda Díaz Pérez, Spain’s Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, according to the Government Information Bureau (GCS).

He briefed Díaz on Macau’s full implementation of ‘One country, two systems,’ “Macau people governing Macau,” and a high degree of autonomy, emphasizing that the region’s way of life remains unchanged despite exercising administrative, legislative, and independent judicial powers, including the power of final adjudication.

Later that same day, Sam traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, to continue his diplomatic visit, where he met with World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and China’s Permanent Representative to the WTO, Ambassador Li Yongzhi. While expressing gratitude to both officials, he emphasized that Macau, as a WTO member under the name “Macau, China,” actively participates in various activities of the multilateral trading system.

Notably, the media delegation was barred from covering Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai’s trip to Geneva and Brussels. All news regarding his itinerary after Portugal and Spain has been reliant solely on statements issued by GCS.

According to statements from GCS, from Thursday through Saturday local time, Sam paid a series of visits to Chinese and European officials.

His meetings included discussions with Jia Guide, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland; Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment, Economy, and Agriculture David Clarinval; Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Olof Skoog; Chinese mbassador to Belgium Fei Shengchao; head of the Chinese Mission to the EU and Ambassador Cai Run; and European Parliament Vice-President Younous Omarjee.

Reportedly, highlighting Macau’s advantages under the ‘One country, two systems’ framework and the significant role of the Sino-Portuguese Cooperation Service Platform, Sam expressed hope to delegates that China-EU relations could be further developed through the Macau platform, with the expectation of establishing targeted partnerships with the EU in areas such as innovative industries, green development, and industry-academia-research collaboration.

Sam also aims to deepen economic, trade, and tourism cooperation with Belgium, while planning to expand collaboration in emerging fields including biopharmaceutical R&D, smart logistics, and green development – with the goal of strengthening industrial synergy, leveraging complementary strengths, and pursuing joint development.

As noted, the 24th EU-Macau Joint Committee meeting, originally scheduled for 2020, was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During a meeting with Olof Skoog, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Sam expressed hope that both sides would resume the relevant meeting mechanism.