Young entrepreneurs launch local federation

About 20 entrepreneurs’ associations and chambers of commerce have joined forces to establish a federation in Macau, the president of the Young Entrepreneurs Association Portugal-China (AJEPC), Alberto Carvalho Neto, revealed on the sidelines of a workshop held recently at the Portuguese Consulate.
Mr Neto confirmed that AJEPC and other entrepreneurs’ associations from China, Portugal and Spanish-speaking countries gathered to launch a federation in Macau, a city often portrayed as a business platform between the Portuguese-speaking countries and China.
He said that by creating a federation here they’re hoping to translate ideas into actual business opportunities.
“Macau is what brings us together. This time we also have Spanish-speaking countries joining [the federation] because of our relationship with Latin America and Spain. So we thought it could no longer be just about the Portuguese and Chinese, as [this way] we can create more synergies,” he stressed.
According to Mr Neto, the federation will not only be comprised of young entrepreneurs’ associations, as the experience and knowledge of other organizations is equally being valued. He added that associations from different sectors are joining the federation.
So far, about 20 organizations will be the founding members, but Mr Neto stressed that the grouping welcomes more associations interested in joining the project.
Mr Neto added, “The federation will be established very soon.”
A workshop, titled “Macau, an International Platform,” held at the Portuguese Consulate on Wednesday, brought together AJEPC, AICEP Portugal Global – Trade & Investment Agency, the Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), as well as the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries (Forum Macau), among other entities.
Mr Neto said that Macau still needs to step up efforts to fully enjoy its role as a platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.
He recalled that, “China could see Macau as a logistics center. However, Macau does not have enough space to store [products]. [But if it had] we could store [products] here before sending them to China. So this would actually be good for Macanese logistics companies, if they could have the autonomy and the capacity to deal with customs procedures,” he said.
As the city’s gaming revenue declined for nine consecutive months, he believes that this is the right time to take advantage of opportunities in others sectors.
“Macau has to go through this transition phase. We need to take the opportunity and Portuguese entrepreneurs need to realize that Macau is their ally and wants to help them. China does not really need Macau to reach the Portuguese-speaking countries, but the Portuguese-speaking countries need Macau to reach China. And it shouldn’t be embarrassing to admit it. We should work with government departments [that can promote that exchange] like AICEP or IPIM,” he stated.
Mr Neto recalled that IPIM and Forum Macau recently created an e-commerce platform that could be helpful in assisting medium-sized enterprises, particularly from Portugal, reach consumers within this region.