Equatorial Guinea will officially become part of the Forum Macau from April 10, becoming the 10th permanent member of the body, which aims to promote economic and commercial cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
The secretary general of the Forum, Ji Xianzheng, said that the transition of Equatorial Guinea to official membership will take place within the scope of the extraordinary meeting of the forum, which will take place online simultaneously in Macau and Beijing, according to a report issued by TDM Radio,
The Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting of Forum Macao will be held online Sunday at the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform Complex, via video link, as unanimously agreed by those due to take part.
The meeting will be held under the theme: “Cooperate to fight against the pandemic, Collaborate for common development.”
Representatives from the governments of the participating countries of Forum Macao will deliver speeches at the opening ceremony via video link.
The topics will be the strengthening of exchange between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries regarding pandemic-prevention work and the joint promotion of economic recovery in a post-
pandemic period. After the meeting, the ministers will sign a Joint Declaration of the Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting.
The ministers of the member countries of the forum that oversee matters related to the body will also make interventions on the topic of “reinforcement of the exchange in pandemic prevention” between China and the Portuguese bloc and sign a joint declaration that will reflect a new phase of works in different areas.
According to the Supporting Office for the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum, the meeting is slated to “meet the initial aspiration of the Forum Macau and establish consensus for the increasingly consistent development of its role as a multilateral cooperation mechanism for common development.”
In 2015, the Times reported on Equatorial Guinea’s intent to join Forum Macau and that it has “apparently it has China’s blessing,” a diplomatic source told the Times.
According to the Times’ sources, “other countries in Africa” are willing to join Forum Macau, even though they are not part of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).
The Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), commonly known as Forum Macao, was created in Macau in October 2003, initiated by the Central Government of China. LV
