Gov’t promotes platform advantages to Greater Bay Area businesses

[Photo: Xinhua]

The SAR is stepping up efforts to help businesses in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area expand into Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking markets and Southeast Asia, with nearly 300 business representatives attending two promotion seminars in Shenzhen and Guangzhou last week.

The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) held the seminars from Aug. 19 to 21, during which more than 150 business negotiations were conducted, involving sectors including technological innovation, manufacturing, foreign trade, legal services and finance.

During the trip, IPIM representatives also visited 14 companies in Shenzhen and Guangzhou operating in big health, new energy and technology.

Two are among China’s top 500 companies. The visits focused on understanding companies’ needs as they seek to enter international markets.

IPIM director Sam Lei said Shenzhen and Guangzhou’s positions as core Greater Bay Area cities create opportunities for closer cooperation with Macao. He highlighted Macao’s role as a platform for China-Portuguese-speaking countries economic and trade cooperation and as a connector to Spanish-speaking markets.

Lei also pointed to the “Macao + Hengqin” model, saying businesses can use the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin for research, supply chains and other operations while accessing international markets through Macau

The seminars also covered market access, overseas services, talent recruitment, investment financing and cross-border settlement. Roundtable discussions and business-matching sessions were held to support potential commercial partnerships.