Lionel Leong advocates Macau’s platform role in Portugal visit

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong met with Portuguese officials during his recent visit to Portugal and advocated Macau’s role as a platform for trade and cooperation between China and Lusophone countries.

During the visit, Secretary Leong discussed topics such as the training of financial professionals to equip Macau for specialized financial services in future, youth entrepreneurship, the conference sector and e-commerce, according to a statement from the Macau government. The secretary hopes Macau and Portugal can enhance their cooperation on these matters.

The secretary met separately with Portugal’s Minister of Economy, Pedro Siza Vieira, and the Secretary of State of Internationalization, Eurico Brilhante Dias, of the European Union member state.

During his meeting with Vieira, Leong pointed out that the Macau SAR government was determined to develop specialized financial services.

These services were specifically identified as a mission for Macau by the Central Government in Beijing, as stipulated in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.

Macau is to make use of its historical advantages and transform itself into the Renminbi Clearing Center for Portuguese- speaking countries.

“Specialized financial services could be a major area for cooperation between Macau and Portugal,” said the secretary. He added that both sides were already working to act as a joint financial services platform to serve mainland China and the European Union.

Leong also mentioned that the role assigned to Macau in the advancement of the Greater Bay Area could help facilitate exchanges to encourage youth entrepreneurship between Portugal and other cities in the  Greater Bay.

In his separate meeting with Dias, Leong stated Macau’s role as a “platform” was not only a significant step in making use of the city’s inherent strengths in its efforts to diversify its economy, but also a crucial point for Macau’s future ties with Portugal and other Portuguese-speaking countries.

The term “platform” refers to Macau’s developing role as a commercial and trade cooperation service between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Both Vieira and Dias confirmed that they were well informed of the latest developments in Macau. They both believed that Macau, Portugal and other Lusophone countries would benefit significantly from Macau in its role as a platform.

In addition, Leong met with Chinese investors in Portugal. He offered the entrepreneurs and company representatives updates about the current conditions in Macau, the city’s prospects, and the outlook of the city’s various industries, before he familiarized them with Macau’s position as a bridge between the Lusophone world and China. Participants came from a vast array of industries, including the construction, financial services, commercial and trade, and legal affairs sectors. AL