Tai Kin Ip leads delegation to Europe seeking ties and cooperation opportunities

Secretary for Economy and Finance, Tai Kin Ip, has led a delegation to Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Monaco to expand international connections and explore cooperation opportunities.

The visit to several European countries was said to aim to deepen international cooperation and exchanges and to strive to establish Macau as a platform for higher-level opening-up.

Earlier this month, the delegation attended the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, a global technology event held in Barcelona, Spain, to strengthen ties with the world’s leading technology enterprises.

This year’s MWC, chaired by Huawei, showcased the latest technologies and products in fields such as 5G and artificial intelligence.

During the event, the delegation met with the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), the organizer of the MWC, to discuss potential future collaborations.

The delegation also met with the Chinese Consul-General in Barcelona, Meng Yuhong, to exchange views on enhancing future cooperation between Macau and Spain.

During the visit to Lisbon, Portugal, from March 4 to 6, the delegation visited Banco de Portugal, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation to further deepen cooperation in technology, economy, and trade between Macau and Portugal.

During the visit to Portugal, the delegation also met with the Chinese Ambassador to Portugal, Zhao Bentang, to discuss deepening cooperation between Macau and Portugal.

While in Portugal, the delegation also attended the inauguration ceremony of the China-Portugal Joint Laboratory on Artificial Intelligence and Public Health Technologies, which tertiary institutions from Macau, Guangzhou, and Portugal jointly established.
During the visit, the delegation witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Macau University of Science and Technology and Nova University Lisbon to strengthen research collaboration and personnel exchanges, as well as the signing of a cooperation agreement between the faculties of the two institutions to establish a joint research center.

Meanwhile, in their visit to Brussels, Belgium, on March 7, the delegation met with Ambassador Cai Run, Head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union (EU), to discuss enhancing cooperation between Macau and the EU.

The delegation also paid a courtesy visit to the European External Action Service (EEAS), where they spoke with Paola Pampaloni, the EEAS’s Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific, and other relevant officials.

The two sides initially discussed convening the 24th EU-Macau Joint Committee Meeting and exchanged views on deepening bilateral economic and trade relations and cooperation.

The EU is one of Macau’s most relevant trading partners, and the EU-Macau Joint Committee mechanism provides an effective platform to discuss economic and trade issues of mutual interest.

At the meeting, both sides reached a consensus to convene the 24th EU-Macau Joint Committee Meeting this year and agreed to strengthen communication to advance the preparatory work jointly.

In the last stop of the European tour, the delegation headed to Monaco for a two-day visit that started with a reception hosted by Skål International Monaco. The event brought together local tourism, finance, and technology leaders to promote exchanges and explore cooperation opportunities.