The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, will lead a delegation on a visit to the Portuguese Republic, following an invitation by the Portuguese President, Mr Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The trip will take place from 10 to 15 September.

During the visit, the Chief Executive is also to meet Portugal’s Prime Minister, Mr António Costa. Mr Chui will additionally co-chair – with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Mr Augusto Santos Silva – the latest meeting of the Macao-Portugal Joint Committee. The latter will explore further opportunities for cooperation between the two places.

The Macao-Portugal Joint Committee was established under the Framework Agreement of Cooperation between the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Portuguese Republic, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between the two sides in a number of areas. The first meeting of the Macao-Portugal Joint Committee was held in Lisbon, in April 2011.

Regarding the continuation of the Framework Agreement, and expansion of the longstanding cooperation between Portugal and Macao, the Chief Executive’s upcoming visit aims to focus on areas including: Portuguese language teaching; education; culture; environmental protection; and youth affairs.

The Government is confident that Macao will further strengthen and expand its links with Portugal, so that Macao can further expand its role as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries.