Sao Tome appoints representative to Forum Macau

São Tomé and Príncipe has appointed Gualter Vera Cruz as the representative to the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macau), according to Xu Yingzhen, the Secretary-General of the institution.

With the appointment of Cruz, who is an advisor to the São Tomé and Príncipe minister of finance, trade, and economics, Forum Macau will have delegates from the eight Portuguese- speaking countries: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor.

Vera Cruz will take office during the next regular meeting of the organization’s permanent secretariat.

São Tomé and Príncipe was admitted to Forum Macau in March 2017 after re-establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in December 2016.

Forum Macau is undergoing a phase of internal adjustment and restructuring to provide faster and more effective responses to its role linking China with Portuguese-speaking countries.

In addition to the 2016 nomination of the new Secretary-General, Xu Yingzhen, the Ministry of Commerce of China has also appointed Ding Tian as Deputy Secretary-General this year. Ding joins Echo Chan and Mozambican diplomat Vicente Manuel, who both hold the same title, but were appointed by the Macau government and the Portuguese-speaking countries respectively.

Manuel will soon retire from his role and will be replaced by Portuguese economist Rodrigo Brum.

As part of the restructuring of Forum Macau, and as the Times reported earlier this week, the local government has appointed Teresa Mok as coordinator of the Support Office of the Permanent Secretariat.

The coordinating structure of Forum Macau also includes Hu Huajun as the coordinator of the Management Office and Timor-Leste representative Danilo Henriques as the liaison office coordinator representing the Portuguese-speaking countries. MDT/Macauhub