Sam Hou Fai kicks off EU tour to visit Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Belgium

Sam Hou Fai meets with Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro
at the Government Headquarters, Sept. 10, 2025

Starting today, Chief Executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai will lead a delegation comprising government officials and business representatives on an official visit to Portugal and Spain.

The government delegation will then proceed to Switzerland and Belgium before returning to Macau on April 26, the Government Information Bureau said in a press statement.

According to the statement, the government hopes the series of visits will further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Portugal, Spain, the European Union (EU), the World Trade Organization (WTO), and other international organizations across multiple fields.

Portugal will be the first overseas destination visited by officials of the current government term. In Lisbon, Sam will meet senior officials from Portugal’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches, with the aim of deepening the already solid foundation of Macau-Portugal collaboration.

While in Lisbon, officials will also host a series of events, including a showcase highlighting Macau’s implementation of the ‘One country, two systems’ principle, business promotion forums, and cultural exchange activities. Sam will also meet with local students studying in Portugal.

In Madrid, Spain, the CE will meet relevant Spanish officials to strengthen bilateral ties and expand Macau’s role as a platform for cooperation with Spanish-speaking countries.

The government will also hold tourism promotion events and economic cooperation forums to broaden visitor source markets and facilitate business-matching activities between both sides.

The CE is also scheduled to meet with the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization, a United Nations agency also known as UN Tourism.

For the first time in such visits, the local government delegation will also include representatives from major mainland enterprises, alongside entrepreneurs from Macau and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.

In the final leg of the tour, the delegation will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, on April 23 to deepen engagement with international organizations, including the WTO.

The following day (April 24), the delegation will visit Brussels, Belgium, the EU’s main headquarters, where Sam will meet senior Belgian and EU officials to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation.

The delegation includes the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, O Lam; the Chief of the Chief Executive’s Office, Chan Kak; and several bureau-level officials.

During the CE’s absence, Secretary for Administration and Justice Wong Sio Chak will serve as Acting Chief Executive.