CPPCC | Macau members urge Beijing to resume tourist visa scheme

Four Macau members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have expressed their wish to welcome mainland visitors to the region sooner than planned.
During the 13th CPPCC in Beijing, four Macau delegates, Ho Sut Heng, Sio Chi Wai, Lau Ngai Leong and lawmaker Chui Sai Peng, made a joint proposal relating to the current border restrictions, having expressed their concerns for Macau’s economy.
According to the proposal, the four Macau representatives asked mainland China to remove immigration restrictions for Macau, if not for both of the SARs. Then, gradually, mainland China would resume the granting of Macau travel permits to mainland visitors, starting from the nearest province then moving further inland, before fully rebooting all types of travel permit services, such as group tour visas and Individual Visit Scheme visas.
Currently, in order to freely move about the mainland, travelers must obtain a health code. Macau and Guangdong have been sharing one health code system, which includes a person’s Covid-19 test results. The four Macau representatives hope that all of mainland China’s health codes can be mutually recognized by Macau.
They also recommended establishing an authority specifically in charge of Greater Bay Area matters.
In addition to these four members, other Macau CPPCC members voiced various proposals to Beijing, ranging from matters such as patriotic education to Greater Bay Area cooperation.
Alex Lao, President of Multinational Holdings Group, made five points to support his opinions on patriotic education to Macau students. Patriotic education aims to instil pro-establishment sentiment and political obedience in young children.
The five methods Lao proposed were establishing a patriotic education research and study zone; including relevant content into school education; adopting online methods; training teachers in the relevant concepts; and portraying specific individuals as patriotic role models. Lao believes that once these five steps are completed, students will love the country and be proud of their own culture.
Chui Sai Cheong, together with Liu Chak Wan, brought one proposal to Beijing. The duo hopes that mainland China can provide opportunities for Portuguese-
speaking students in Macau to undertake internships in the Greater Bay Area.
Lau Ngai Leong, Kou Hoi In and Sio Chi Wai proposed, in another joint suggestion, that freight between Macau and Zhuhai should be smoother.
The group complained that Macau local SMES cannot develop cross-border e-commerce businesses in mainland China because of immigration difficulties, and that Macau residents also encounter difficulties in receiving or returning online shopping parcels to and from mainland China.
They hope mainland China can support Zhuhai in establishing a special zone in Hengqin to allow a faster package-returning process for Macau residents. They also want the mainland to support Zhuhai in launching tax benefits to attract overseas e-commerce platforms to expand branches in Hengqin.