The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, visited Foshan this afternoon, where he met with the Secretary of the Foshan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Mr Tang Yifeng. The two sides exchanged views on deepening cooperation in pharmaceutical research, cross-boundary elderly care, technological innovation, trade, finance, and cultural tourism.
Mr Sam was on a three-day visit to six mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, namely Shenzhen, Huizhou, Dongguan, Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, and Foshan. The Foshan visit was the final leg of the trip, with Mr Sam returning to Macao in the evening.
During the meeting this afternoon, the Chief Executive expressed his gratitude to the CPC Foshan Municipal Committee and the Foshan People’s Government for their longstanding support for the development of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR).
Macao and Foshan have always maintained close ties, with ample potential for further collaboration across multiple sectors, noted Mr Sam. Both sides should strengthen high-level exchanges, increase working-level meetings, and boost strategic alignment, in order to consolidate consensus, formulate new joint project proposals, and advance their implementation. Such efforts would foster mutual benefits while supporting Macao’s appropriate economic diversification and the development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the Chief Executive said.
Mr Sam noted Foshan’s strengths regarding the industrial development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). By making use of Macao’s academic resources and research capabilities, the two sides could enhance the core competitiveness of their industries in this field, he suggested.
Additionally, Mr Sam highlighted the growing demand among Macao’s elderly population to retire on the mainland and Foshan’s provision of integrated medical and elderly care services, coupled with shared cultural and folk traditions between the two sides. He said these conditions presented opportunities to strengthen cross-boundary cooperation in elderly care and promote the “silver economy”.
Mr Sam added that Foshan, as a renowned manufacturing hub with robust industrial infrastructure and capacity for the rapid commercialisation of innovation, could collaborate with Macao’s higher education institutions, innovation platforms, and enterprises to advance industry-academia-research partnerships. Foshan could also utilise Macao’s platform role between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries to promote its products in the latter markets, thereby enhancing the Greater Bay Area’s international competitiveness.
Members of the MSAR Government delegation also attending the meeting included: the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tai Kin Ip; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms Chan Kak; the Director of the Policy Research and Regional Development Bureau, Mr Cheong Chok Man; the Director of the Health Bureau, Mr Lo Iek Long; the President of the Board of Directors of the Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr U U Sang; and the Director of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, Mr Yau Yun Wah.
Representatives from the Guangdong and Foshan side present at the meeting included: the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province, Ms Chen Liwen; Deputy Secretary of the CPC Foshan Municipal Committee and Mayor of Foshan, Mr Bai Tao; member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Foshan Municipal Committee and Director of the United Front Work Department, Mr Ding Xifeng; member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Foshan Municipal Committee and Director of the Organisation Department, Ms Zhou Zixiao; member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Foshan Municipal Committee and Secretary-General of the Shunde District Party Committee, Mr Chen Xinwen; Secretary-General of the Foshan People’s Government, Mr Zhang Kaiji; and the Director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the CPC Foshan Municipal Committee, Ms Pan Yan.
Prior to the meeting, Mr Sam visited an industrial robotics manufacturer and Heyou Hospital in Foshan to gain insights into the latest advancements in high-tech industries and smart healthcare.
