COOPERATION | Lusophone partnerships help local companies

Partnerships between Portuguese and Chinese companies are helping to facilitate the development of projects in Lusophone countries, said the president of the Macau Engineering and Construction Association, Tang Hon Cheong.
“There are Chinese companies that have been established in Macau for years (…) and even Portuguese companies, because Macau is a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. We have a good contact network and good law firms, import and export companies, so there’s a possibility of partnerships with big Chinese companies to explore the Portuguese-speaking language markets,” he stressed.
Mr Tang was speaking at the 6th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF), which was held in Macau last week. Under the framework of IIICF, a ministerial meeting on infrastructural development between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries was also held.
Agreements between Chinese and Macau companies for the construction of residential units and roads in Mozambique were signed during the two-day forum.
“Private companies in Macau cannot participate in these large scale business deals abroad, because they’re not large enough. But in Macau we have also large Chinese companies, and they have their own connections. I believe that if we partner with these companies, while cooperating with Portuguese enterprises, we could achieve great results,” he explained.
Furthermore, he suggested that the Macau government could play a role in encouraging Macau companies to venture overseas. Mr Tang recalled that by opening its financial reserves, the government could provide financial support for local companies looking to invest in the infrastructure market abroad.
The Portuguese Consul General to Macau and Hong Kong, Vítor Sereno, who attended the ministerial meeting last week, noted the vast potential that could be explored, namely through Forum Macau.
He concluded by saying that, “the legal framework of each Portuguese-speaking country is similar. Therefore, I believe Portugal has a crucial role in this sense.”
According to organizers, about 120 agreements involving USD2.5 million were signed during the IIICF. The forum gathered over 1,000 attendees from 15 countries. The coming edition will be held here next year between June 2 and 3.
MDT/Lusa