Cooperation | Forum Macau center temporarily located in Tap Seac

The distribution center for Portuguese-Speaking Countries’ products, a sector of the Forum Macau and the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), is expected to be located close to the future Pac On harbor in Taipa. However, it will be temporarily located in Macau Peninsula’s Tap Seac district while the Pac On construction works are still ongoing.
The new coordinator of Forum Macau’s secretariat, Echo Chan, revealed that there are plans for the center to be operational before the next ministerial meeting in 2016. She spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the launch of a website which focuses on cooperation between China and Lusophone countries.
The website (www.platformchinaplp.mo) includes information about the member countries and  services offered to small and medium companies, as well as information about product exhibitions and conventions held in Macau.
According to diplomat André Panzo, Secretary-General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum, this new online service platform represents “an historical factor” that will strengthen multilateral relations.
“This link has been lacking for a long time. It will allow visitors to know the reality of each of the [Forum Macau] member countries in an integrated and business-friendly way,” he said.
IPIM’s president Jackson Chang indicated that the new website intends to “strengthen the role of Macau as a service platform between China and the Portuguese speaking countries.” PB

echo chan: fund installation takes time

Echo Chan has downplayed the lack of projects approved by the cooperation fund between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. According to Chan, the fact that only two projects have been approved since June 2013 doesn’t mean that the fund is inefficient. “We need to understand one thing: In cooperation projects it takes time to find a partner, and analyze a project,” she said.